[The efficacy of early diagnosis of brain metastasis and systemic treatment after radiotherapy in patients with metastatic breast cancer]

Gan To Kagaku Ryoho. 2013 Nov;40(12):2381-3.
[Article in Japanese]

Abstract

We treated 9 patients diagnosed with brain metastasis from breast cancer. Although 1 patient was initially diagnosed as having Stage IV disease, 5 had Stage I/II early breast cancer. All patients had defined brain metastasis after chemotherapy. Brain metastasis was symptomatic in 7 patients, 4 of whom had brain edema, and asymptomatic in 2 patients. The median survival time from breast cancer metastasis was 23 days for patients who did not receive radiotherapy and 19.6 months for those who received radiotherapy. Among the patients treated with radiotherapy, the median survival time was 4.3 months for patients who did not receive further treatment and 19.7 months for those who received chemotherapy or chemotherapy with trastuzumab. One patient with a solitary brain metastasis underwent stereotactic radiosurgery, and treatment is being continued for 1 of the 2 patients who received systemic therapy after whole-brain radiotherapy and additional stereotactic radiosurgery at recurrence to control brain disease. Systemic treatment after radiotherapy is important for brain metastasis from breast cancer, and early diagnosis of brain metastasis facilitates the use of various available treatments.

Publication types

  • English Abstract

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Brain Neoplasms / diagnosis
  • Brain Neoplasms / radiotherapy*
  • Brain Neoplasms / secondary
  • Brain Neoplasms / surgery
  • Breast Neoplasms / pathology
  • Breast Neoplasms / radiotherapy*
  • Early Detection of Cancer
  • Humans
  • Middle Aged
  • Prognosis
  • Radiosurgery
  • Salvage Therapy