Brain metastases from solid tumors: disease outcome according to type of treatment and therapeutic resources of the treating center.
BACKGROUND
To evaluate the therapeutic strategies commonly employed in the clinic for the management of brain metastases (BMs) and to correlate disease outcome with type of treatment and therapeutic resources available at the treating center.


METHODS
Four Cancer centres participated to the survey. Data were collected through a questionnaire filled in by one physician for each centre.


RESULTS
Clinical data regarding 290 cancer patients with BMs from solid tumors were collected. Median age was 59 and 59% of patients had ≤ 3 brain metastases. A local approach (surgery and stereotactic radiosurgery) was adopted in 31% of patients. The local approach demonstrated to be superior in terms of survival compared to the regional/systemic approach (whole brain radiotherapy and chemotherapy, p = <.0001 for survival at 2 years). In the multivariate analysis local treatment was an independent prognostic factor for survival. When patients were divided into 2 groups whether they were treated in centers where local approaches were available or not (group A vs group B respectively, 58% of patients with ≤ 3 BMs in both cohorts), more patients in group A received local strategies although no difference in time to brain progression at 1 year was observed between the two groups of patients.


CONCLUSIONS
In clinical practice, local strategies should be integrated in the management of brain metastases. Proper selection of patients who are candidate to local treatments is of crucial importance.
Department of Medical Oncology, Regina Elena National Cancer Institute, Rome - Italy. fabi@ifo.it
Alessandra
A
Fabi
Alessandra
A
Felici
Giulio
G
Metro
Alessandra
A
Mirri
Emilio
E
Bria
Stefano
S
Telera
Luca
L
Moscetti
Michelangelo
M
Russillo
Gaetano
G
Lanzetta
Giovanni
G
Mansueto
Andrea
A
Pace
Marta
M
Maschio
Antonello
A
Vidiri
Isabella
I
Sperduti
Francesco
F
Cognetti
Carmine M
CM
Carapella
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000556:secondary* / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D006801:Humans; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D016522:Oncology Service, Hospital; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055815:Young Adult
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