title: Survival of brain metastatic patients in Yazd, Iran.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Brain metastasis occurs when cancerous cells come from a known (or sometimes an unknown) primary tumor to the brain and implant and grow there. This event is potentially lethal and causes neurologic symptoms and signs. These patients are treated in order to decrease their neurologic problems, increase quality of life and overall survival.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this study we evaluated clinical characteristics of 206 patients with brain metastases referred to our center from 2004 to 2011.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean age was 53.6 years. The primary tumors were breast cancer (32%), lung cancer (24.8%), lymphoma (4.4%), sarcoma (3.9%), melanoma (2.9%), colorectal cancer (2.4%) and renal cell carcinoma (1.5%). In 16.5% of the patients, brain metastasis was the first presenting symptom and the primary site was unknown. Forty two (20.4%) patients had a single brain metastasis, 18 patients (8.7%) had two or three lesions, 87 (42.2%) patients had more than three lesions. Leptomeningeal involvement was seen in 49 (23.8%) patients. Thirty five (17%) had undergone surgical resection. Whole brain radiation therapy was performed for all of the patients. Overall survival was 10.1 months (95%CI; 8.65-11.63). One and two year survival was 27% and 12% respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Overall survival of patients who were treated by combination of surgery and whole brain radiation therapy was significantly better than those who were treated with whole brain radiation therapy only [13.8 vs 9.3 months (p=0.03)]. Age, sex, primary site and the number of brain lesions did not show significant relationships with overall survival.
authors.affiliation: Department Of Radiotherapy, Isfahan University Of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran E-mail : binesh44@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Ali
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Akhavan
authors.forename: Fariba
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Binesh
authors.forename: Samaneh
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Heidari
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality* / Q000556:secondary / Q000628:therapy; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality* / Q000473:pathology; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000401:mortality* / Q000556:secondary / Q000628:therapy; D002292:Carcinoma, Renal Cell / Q000401:mortality / Q000556:secondary / Q000628:therapy; D015331:Cohort Studies; D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality* / Q000473:pathology; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007492:Iran / Q000453:epidemiology; D007680:Kidney Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality* / Q000473:pathology; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality* / Q000473:pathology; D008223:Lymphoma / Q000401:mortality*; D008297:Male; D008545:Melanoma / Q000401:mortality* / Q000556:secondary / Q000628:therapy; D008875:Middle Aged; D009382:Neoplasms, Unknown Primary / Q000401:mortality* / Q000628:therapy; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012509:Sarcoma / Q000401:mortality* / Q000556:secondary / Q000628:therapy; D055815:Young Adult