Brain metastasis from breastcancer

Cerebral metastases often lead to considerable morbidity with development of neurological symptoms. The expected survival is short and treatment should be considered as symptomatic. A retrospective analysis of 39 patients with breastcancer and brain metastases was undertaken. The patients were treated with total cranial irradiation. The median survival was 5.3 months. In five patients the tumor was resected before radiotheraphy. This group of patients had a median survival of 13.5 months. Selected groups of patients with long relapse-free interval solitary brain metastases and no other systemic disease, should be considered for neurosurgery. Dexamethasone may be effective as initial treatment. Patients with relatively long expected survival, assessed from the extracranial disease, should be considered for cranial irradiation