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Age alone predicted survival in patients with brain metastasis
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Age at diagnosis was associated with shorter survival in patients with brain metastasis from breast cancer who underwent craniotomy and resection, according to study results presented at the Breast Cancer Symposium.
No other factors influenced survival, researchers said.
An estimated 10% to 16% of patients with breast cancer develop brain metastasis, and prognosis in those patients is poor, according to background information provided by researchers.
Adam M. Brufsky
Adam M. Brufsky, MD, PhD, FACP, professor of medicine at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and a HemOnc Today Editorial Board member, and colleagues assessed clinical characteristics, prognostic factors and survival of patients with brain metastasis from breast cancer who underwent craniotomy and resection.
The analysis included 42 patients, all of whom were diagnosed with breast cancer between April 1994 and May 2010. Median age was 51 years (range, 24-74).
Median follow-up was 4.2 years (range, 0.6-18.5).
The mean time from primary diagnosis to brain metastasis was 49 months. Researchers reported the following breast cancer subtypes among those who developed brain metastasis: 25% were ER-positive and HER-2–negative; 15% were ER-positive and HER-2–positive; 30% were ER-negative and HER-2–positive; and 30% were ER-negative and HER-2–negative.
Twenty-eight of the patients underwent brain radiotherapy. Of them, 10 underwent stereotactic radiosurgery, seven received whole-brain radiation and 11 had both.
Researchers reported a median OS of 5.7 years from the time of breast cancer diagnosis and 1.3 years after diagnosis of brain metastasis.
Results of multivariate Cox regression analyses showed disease stage was the only factor linked to shorter time to development of brain metastasis (P=.059). Results showed patient age was the only factor associated with OS (P=.037) and survival from the date of recurrence (P=.027).
After controlling for stage and age, researchers determined disease biological subtype, radiation modality and site of first recurrence had no effect on survival.
For more information:
Leone JP. Abstract #143. Presented at: Breast Cancer Symposium; Sept. 7-9, 2013; San Francisco.
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.