title: Central nervous system metastases from epithelial ovarian cancer: prognostic factors and outcomes.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To analyze the clinicopathological characteristics and prognostic factors associated with survival in patients with central nervous system (CNS) metastases from epithelial ovarian cancer.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty patients with CNS involvement from ovarian carcinoma were evaluated in this retrospective study; their features and survivals were analyzed using Kaplan-Meier and log-rank test methods.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The incidence of CNS metastases was 5%, among 400 patients with ovarian cancer treated in our single institution. The median age at diagnosis of the ovarian cancer was 55 years. The median interval to the brain involvement and the median survival were 33 and 18 months, respectively. Prognostic factors associated with survival were the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics stage, the surgical resection, the multimodal treatment, and the response after the therapy of the brain metastases.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Brain involvement from ovarian cancer is uncommon but is increasing in incidence. Although the prognosis is usually poor, a multimodal approach can result in a long-term remission of the metastases and in an improvement of the overall survival.
authors: Gynecologic Oncology Unit, Department of Gynecology, Obstetrics and Neonatology, University of Bari, Bari, Italy. n.cormio@gynecology2.uniba.it
authors: Gennaro
authors: G
authors: Cormio
authors: Vera
authors: V
authors: Loizzi
authors: Maddalena
authors: M
authors: Falagario
authors: Antonio
authors: A
authors: Calace
authors: Antonio
authors: A
authors: Colamaria
authors: Antonio
authors: A
authors: De Tommasi
authors: Luigi E
authors: LE
authors: Selvaggi