title: Clinical outcomes and breast cancer subtypes in patients with brain metastases.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The principal objective of this study was to assess clinical outcomes by breast cancer subtype in patients with brain metastases.
  
  
  METHODS
  Estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), and human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (HER2) status was evaluated via immunohistochemical staining. Four survival time intervals were compared according to the subtype (ER+/HER2-, HER2+, triple negative (TN)).
  
  
  RESULTS
  20 (30.3%) of the 66 patients in this study were ER+/HER2-, 20 (30.3%) were HER2+, and 26 (39.4%) were TN. The disease-free survival rates of ER+/HER2-, HER2+, and TN patients were 30.0, 17.0, and 17.9 months, respectively (p = 0.040). The median time intervals from distant metastasis to brain metastasis were 20.6, 19.5, and 9.0 months, respectively (p = 0.012). The times from initial diagnosis to brain metastasis were 52.9, 33.6, and 25.5 months, respectively (p = 0.026). However, the overall survival rates did not differ significantly (p = 0.276).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Patients with TN breast cancer were more likely to develop distant metastasis earlier, and also evidenced poor overall survival. Triple receptor status may be employed as a prognostic marker for breast cancer patients with brain metastases.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Dong-A University College of Medicine, Busan, Korea.
authors.forename: Hyuk-Chan
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Kwon
authors.forename: Sung Yong
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Oh
authors.forename: Sung-Hyun
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Suee
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Kyung A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Kwon
authors.forename: Young-Jin
authors.initials: YJ
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.forename: Goon-Jae
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Cho
authors.forename: Yang-Soo
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Miri
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Jin Hwa
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Dae Cheol
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Hyung-Sik
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Se Heon
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Cho
authors.forename: Hyo-Jin
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Kim
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality* / Q000556:secondary*; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality*; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000401:mortality* / Q000556:secondary*; D015897:Comorbidity; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007723:Korea / Q000453:epidemiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D015995:Prevalence; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D016019:Survival Analysis; D015996:Survival Rate