J Breast Cancer.  2008 Jun;11(2):71-76. 10.4048/jbc.2008.11.2.71.

Predictive Factors and Survival Rate for Brain Metastasis from Breast Cancer

• Lee JA
• Bae JW
• Woo SU
• Lee JB
• Koo BW

• KMID: 2241934
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.4048/jbc.2008.11.2.71

Abstract

PURPOSE
The incidence of symptomatic brain metastases from breast cancerhas ranged from 10% to 16%. Brain metastases are traditionally viewed as a late complication of systemic disease, for which few effective treatment options exist. The aim of this study was to evaluate the factors that can predict brain metastases and to analyze the survival rate as compared with other systemic metastases.
METHODS
Between February 1983 and October 2005, 119 patient who developed systemic metastasis during the follow up period after optimal surgical treatment at Korea University Hospital were included in this study. Twenty-nine of these 119 patients had complaints of symptoms and they were consequently diagnosed as having brain metastases.
RESULTS
Estrogen receptor (-), progesterone receptor (-) and Her2 (-), and Triple negative were a significantly higher in the patients with brain metastases (p=0.04). The other clinicopathologic factors showed no difference between the patients with brain metastases and the patients without brain metastases. Lung metastases existed previously more often than the other systemic metastases (p=0.04). The overall survival of the patients with brain metastases was not significantly different from the patients with other systemic metastases. However, the disease specific survival of patients with brain metastases, as compared with other systemic metastases was poorer than that for patients with bone and lung metastases, respectively (p=0.01 and 0.03). A poor prognosis was shown for the cases with brain metastases within 1 yr after operation.
CONCLUSION
Clinician should give attention to the possibility of brain metastases for the breast cancer patients with triple negative findings or the patients who have developed lung metastases as this represents a symptom of central nervous system.

Keyword

Breast cancer; Brain metastases; Predictive factor; Survival

MeSH Terms

Brain
Breast
Breast Neoplasms
Estrogens
Follow-Up Studies
Humans
Incidence
Korea
Lung
Neoplasm Metastasis
Prognosis
Receptors, Progesterone
Survival Rate
Estrogens
Receptors, Progesterone

Figure

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  Fig 1 Overall survival and disease specific survival of breast cancer patients with brain metastases versus without brain metastases.

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  Fig 2 According to metastatic location, disease specific of breast cancer patients with systemic metastases.

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  Fig 3 Contributing factors of survival in breast cancer with brain metastases.

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