title: Role of surgery in the treatment of brain metastases in patients with breast cancer.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Patients whose brain metastases from breast cancer are treated nonsurgically have a median length of survival ranging from 2.5 to 7.5 months, and a median time to recurrence ranging from 2 to 5 months. Patients treated with radiotherapy have a median length of survival ranging from 3 to 4 months. Those treated with chemotherapy have a median length of survival ranging from 5.5 to 7.5 months.
  
  
  METHODS
  We conducted a retrospective analysis on 63 patients treated over a 10-year period. Only patients who underwent surgery for nonrecurrent brain metastases were studied. Sixty-one patients (97%) underwent surgery within 2 weeks of diagnosis of the brain metastases.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The median length of survival was 16 months (95% confidence interval [CI] 11 to 22 months), and the 5-year survival rate was 17% (CI 9% to 29%). Brain metastases recurred in 27 patients at a median interval of 15 months (CI 12 to 24 months). Eleven patients had local recurrence, 10 had distal recurrence, and seven developed leptomeningeal disease. Significant prognosticators of length of survival were age (p = 0.011), menopause status (p = 0.10), postoperative radiotherapy (p = 0.054), preoperative neurologic status (p = 0.011), and preoperative systemic disease status (p = 0.0003). Systemic disease status had a significant effect on the length of survival but not on the time to recurrence.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA.
authors.forename: D R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Pieper
authors.forename: K R
authors.initials: KR
authors.lastname: Hess
authors.forename: R E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Sawaya
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000401:mortality / Q000556:secondary / Q000601:surgery*; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000556:secondary / Q000601:surgery*; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology*; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D015996:Survival Rate; D016896:Treatment Outcome