Clinical outcomes and breast cancer subtypes in patients with brain metastases.
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.
Kwon
Hyuk-Chan
HC
Department of Internal Medicine, Dong-A University College of Medicine, Busan, Korea.
Oh
Sung Yong
SY
Kim
Sung-Hyun
SH
Lee
Suee
S
Kwon
Kyung A
KA
Choi
Young-Jin
YJ
Cho
Goon-Jae
GJ
Kim
Yang-Soo
YS
Lee
Miri
M
Lee
Jin Hwa
JH
Kim
Dae Cheol
DC
Lee
Hyung-Sik
HS
Cho
Se Heon
SH
Kim
Hyo-Jin
HJ
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