title: The number of involved extracranial organs: a new predictor of survival in breast cancer patients with brain metastasis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study was performed to investigate the potential impact of the number of involved extracranial organs on survival in patients with brain metastasis from breast cancer.
  
  
  METHODS
  The data of 196 patients treated with whole-brain radiotherapy (WBRT) alone for brain metastases from breast cancer were retrospectively analyzed. Six potential prognostic factors were evaluated for associations with survival. These factors included WBRT regimen, age, Karnofsky performance score (KPS), number of brain metastases, interval from breast cancer diagnosis to WBRT, and the number of involved extracranial organs.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The 6-month survival rates of patients with involvement of 0, 1, 2, 3 and ≥4 extracranial organs were 59%, 49%, 26%, 26% and 13%, respectively, and the 12-month survival rates were 45%, 36%, 17%, 17% and 13%, respectively (p<0.001). On multivariate analysis, the number of involved extracranial organs (risk ratio 1.17; 95%-confidence interval 1.02-1.35; p=0.028) maintained significance, as did KPS (p<0.001), but not age (p=0.27).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The number of involved extracranial organs is an independent prognostic factor of survival in patients with brain metastasis from breast cancer.
authors: Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany; Section of Nuclear Medicine, University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany.
authors: Lavinia
authors: L
authors: Gerdan
authors: Barbara
authors: B
authors: Segedin
authors: Viorica
authors: V
authors: Nagy
authors: Mai T
authors: MT
authors: Khoa
authors: Ngo T
authors: NT
authors: Trang
authors: Steven E
authors: SE
authors: Schild
authors: Dirk
authors: D
authors: Rades
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000556:secondary*; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality* / Q000473:pathology*; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D017567:Karnofsky Performance Status; D008875:Middle Aged; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis / Q000473:pathology; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D016019:Survival Analysis
keywords: Brain metastasis; Breast cancer; Involvement of extracranial organs; Prognostic factors; Survival