scholarly journals Brain Metastases from Adult Sarcomas: A Retrospective Cohort Study from the Hellenic Group of Sarcomas and Rare Cancers (HGSRC)

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (24) ◽  
pp. 5978
Author(s):  
Stefania Kokkali ◽  
Louiza Vini ◽  
Anastasia Stergioula ◽  
Anastasios Kyriazoglou ◽  
Nikolaos Vassos ◽  
...  

Brain metastases are rare events in patients with sarcoma and the available information is relatively limited. We retrospectively reviewed medical records of patients with sarcoma who developed brain metastases between April 2010 and April 2020 in six centers. Thirty-four adult patients were included with a median age at brain metastases diagnosis of 55.5 years (range, 18–75). The primary sarcomas originated either from soft tissue (n = 27) or bone (n = 7) and the most common subtypes were leiomyosarcoma (n = 8), Ewing sarcoma/peripheral neuroectodermal tumor (PNET) (n = 7) and osteosarcoma (n = 3). Most primary tumors were of high grade and located mainly in the extremities (n = 18). The vast majority of patients at the time of brain metastasis diagnosis already had extracranial metastatic disease (n = 26). The median time from sarcoma diagnosis to cerebral metastasis diagnosis was 16 months (range, 1–136). Treatment modalities for brain metastatic disease included whole-brain radiation therapy (WBRT) (n = 22), chemotherapy (n = 17), exclusive palliative care (n = 5), surgery (n = 9), targeted therapy (n = 6) or stereotactic radiosurgery (n = 2). Most patients experienced a progression of brain metastases (n = 11). The median overall survival from brain metastasis diagnosis was 3 months (range, 0–80). OS was significantly influenced by time-to-brain metastases (p = 0.041), WBRT (p = 0.018), surgery (p = 0.002) and chemotherapy (p = 0.006). In a multivariate analysis, only the localization of the primary (p = 0.047) and WBRT (p = 0.038) were associated with survival with statistical significance. Patients with sarcoma brain metastases have a particularly poor prognosis and an appropriate therapeutic approach is yet to be defined.

2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (5) ◽  
pp. 402-409 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claire M Lanier ◽  
Ryan Hughes ◽  
Tamjeed Ahmed ◽  
Michael LeCompte ◽  
Adrianna H Masters ◽  
...  

Abstract Background The effect of immunotherapy on brain metastasis patients remains incompletely understood. Our goal was to evaluate its effect on survival, neurologic death, and patterns of failure after stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) without prior whole-brain radiation therapy (WBRT) in patients with lung and melanoma primaries metastatic to the brain. Methods We performed a retrospective analysis of 271 consecutive lung or melanoma patients treated with upfront SRS for brain metastases between 2013 and 2018. Of these patients, 101 (37%) received immunotherapy and 170 (63%) did not. Forty-three percent were treated with nivolumab. Thirty-seven percent were treated with pembrolizumab. Fifteen percent were treated with ipilimumab. One percent were treated with a combination of nivolumab and ipilimumab. One percent were treated with atezolizumab. Three percent were treated with another immunotherapy regimen. Survival was estimated by the Kaplan–Meier method and cumulative incidences of neurologic death, and local and distant brain failure were estimated using death as a competing risk. Results The median overall survival (OS) of patients treated with immunotherapy vs without was 15.9 (95% CI: 13.3 to 24.8) vs 6.1 (95% CI: 5.1 to 8.8) months (P < .01). The 1-year cumulative incidence of neurologic death was 9% in patients treated with immunotherapy vs 23% in those treated without (P = .01), while nonneurologic death was not significantly different (29% vs 41%, P = .51). Median brain metastasis velocity (BMV) did not differ between groups, and rates of salvage SRS and WBRT were similar. Conclusions The use of immunotherapy in patients with lung cancer or melanoma metastatic to the brain treated with SRS is associated with improved OS and decreased incidence of neurologic death.


2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Achiraya Teyateeti ◽  
Paul D Brown ◽  
Anita Mahajan ◽  
Nadia N Laack ◽  
Bruce E Pollock

Abstract Background To compare the outcomes between patients with leptomeningeal disease (LMD) and distant brain recurrence (DBR) after stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) brain metastases (BM) resection cavity. Methods Twenty-nine patients having single-fraction SRS after BM resection who developed either LMD (n = 11) or DBR (n = 18) as their initial and only site of intracranial progression were retrospectively reviewed. Results Patients developing LMD more commonly had a metachronous presentation (91% vs 50%, P = .04) and recursive partitioning class 1 status (45% vs 6%, P = .02). There was no difference in the median time from SRS to the development of LMD or DBR (5.0 vs 3.8 months, P = .68). The majority of patients with LMD (10/11, 91%) developed the nodular variant (nLMD). Treatment for LMD was repeat SRS (n = 4), whole-brain radiation therapy (WBRT; n = 5), resection + WBRT (n = 1), and no treatment (n = 1). Treatment for DBR was repeat SRS (n = 9), WBRT (n = 3), resection + resection cavity SRS (n = 1), and no treatment (n = 5). Median overall survival (OS) from time of resection cavity SRS was 15.7 months in the LMD group and 12.7 months in the DBR group (P = .60), respectively. Median OS in salvage SRS and salvage WBRT were 25.4 and 5.0 months in the nLMD group (P = .004) while 18.7 and 16.2 months in the DBR group (P = .30), respectively. Conclusions Following BM resection cavity SRS, nLMD recurrence is much more frequent than classical LMD. Salvage SRS may be considered for selected patients with nLMD, reserving salvage WBRT for patients with extensive intracranial disease without compromising survival. Further study with larger numbers of patients is needed.


2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 ◽  
pp. 1-13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Deepak Khuntia

Brain metastases are an important cause of morbidity and mortality, afflicting approximately 200,000 Americans annually. The prognosis for these patients is poor, with median survivals typically measured in months. In this review article, we present the standard treatment approaches with whole brain radiation and as well as novel approaches in the prevention of neurocognitive deficits.


2015 ◽  
Vol 33 (30) ◽  
pp. 3475-3484 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xuling Lin ◽  
Lisa M. DeAngelis

Brain metastases (BMs) occur in 10% to 20% of adult patients with cancer, and with increased surveillance and improved systemic control, the incidence is likely to grow. Despite multimodal treatment, prognosis remains poor. Current evidence supports use of whole-brain radiation therapy when patients present with multiple BMs. However, its associated cognitive impairment is a major deterrent in patients likely to live longer than 6 months. In patients with oligometastases (one to three metastases) and even some with multiple lesions less than 3 to 4 cm, especially if the primary tumor is considered radiotherapy resistant, stereotactic radiosurgery is recommended; if the BMs are greater than 4 cm, surgical resection with or without postoperative whole-brain radiation therapy should be considered. There is increasing evidence that systemic therapy, including targeted therapy and immunotherapy, is effective against BM and may be an early choice, especially in patients with sensitive primary tumors. In patients with progressive systemic disease, limited treatment options, and poor performance status, best supportive care may be appropriate. Regardless of treatment goals, use of corticosteroids or antiepileptic medications is helpful in symptomatic patients. In this review, we provide a summary of current therapy, as well as developments in the treatment of BM from solid tumors.


2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (Supplement_2) ◽  
pp. ii130-ii130
Author(s):  
Ravi Medikonda ◽  
Siddhartha Srivastava ◽  
Timothy Kim ◽  
Yuanxuan Xia ◽  
Mira Patel ◽  
...  

Abstract Brain metastasis is common in patients with breast cancer, and those with triple negative status have an even higher risk. Stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) is preferred to whole brain radiation therapy (WBRT) in most patients. However, triple negative status is currently not considered when determining optimal radiation therapy. Given the aggressive nature of triple negative breast cancer, we evaluated a role for WBRT for all patients in this cohort. We conducted a single-institution retrospective cohort study to determine whether triple negative patients with brain metastases have a higher burden of intracranial disease and whether type of initial radiation therapy affects overall survival for this cohort of patients. 85 patients met the inclusion criteria for this study. 25% of patients had triple negative breast cancer, of which 91% received SRS and 53% of patients received WBRT. The average number of new brain metastases from time of initial brain imaging to radiation therapy was 0.67 (St.Dev:1.1) in the non-triple negative status patients and 2.6 (St. Dev:3.7) in the triple negative status patients (p=0.001). Using a cox proportional hazards model, it was found that whole brain radiotherapy does not significantly affect overall survival in patients with triple negative breast cancer (p = 0.96). Our findings highlight the highly aggressive intracranial nature of triple negative breast cancer. Indeed, the rate of increase in brain metastases is significantly higher for triple negative patients compared to non-triple negative patients. As a result, we evaluated whether triple negative patients would benefit from whole brain radiation regardless of findings on initial brain imaging. Despite 53% of patients receiving WBRT, our investigation found that there is no additional benefit to WBRT in triple negative breast cancer patients. These results suggest a need to re-evaluate the role of WBRT in the management of triple negative breast cancer.


2018 ◽  
Vol 36 (7_suppl) ◽  
pp. 125-125
Author(s):  
Naveen Kumar Reddy ◽  
Franklin Brown ◽  
Judith Hess ◽  
Miklos C. Fogarasi ◽  
Veronica Chiang

125 Background: Use of whole brain radiation, radiosurgery, targeted therapies, and more recently, immunotherapies have resulted in improved survival for patients with brain metastases. As patients live longer, it is becoming increasingly important to understand the long-term cognitive function (CF) and quality of life (QOL) changes associated with these therapies. Methods: The Yale Gamma Knife Database was searched for patients surviving greater than 2 years after brain metastasis diagnosis. Of 79 patients identified, 19 were willing to participate in study. All participants underwent a single assessment session of cognitive tests that evaluated executive function (TMTa and TMTb), processing speed (COWA), memory (HVLT), and quality of life (FACT-Br). Results: Within the whole group, mean age was 65.5 years (range 50-88), median time from brain metastasis diagnosis to testing was 60 months (range 25.6-120.6). Mean number of lesions treated was 3.8 (range 1-10). Mean total lesion volume treated was 14.1 mm3 (range 0.6 - 39). Only 2 patients were treated with whole brain radiation therapy. Patient scores were compared to validated normative data for their age group. Patients performed worse than normal for their age on TMTb (p < 0.0001), total word recall (p < 0.0001) and discriminative ability (p = 0.0004). Patients performed as expected for age on TMTa, animal naming, FAS, and % retention. A negative correlation was seen between executive function results and QOL (TMTa: r = -0.569, p ≤ 0.05, TMTb: r = -0.484, p ≤ 0.05) and a positive correlation was seen between processing speed results and QOL (r = 0.672, p ≤ 0.001). Conclusions: In patients surviving more than 2 years after diagnosis and successful treatment of brain metastases, this study shows that portions of executive function and memory are worse than expected for their age, while cognitive processing speed is similar to norms. Cognitive function was correlated with QOL; patients with lowered cognitive function reported a lower quality of life. Given this preliminary data, a further study in a larger population is needed to determine if certain treatments preferentially predispose patients to declines in CF and QOL.


2005 ◽  
Vol 91 (2) ◽  
pp. 163-167 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maurizio Amichetti ◽  
Giancarlo Lay ◽  
Marina Dessì ◽  
Silvia Orrù ◽  
Roberta Farigu ◽  
...  

Aims and background Carcinoma of the colon-rectum is an infrequent cause of brain metastases, constituting 1-5% of all metastatic lesions to the brain. We reviewed our experience in the treatment of brain metastases from colorectal cancer to define the efficacy of whole brain radiation therapy as a palliative measure in this setting of patients. Methods Twenty-three consecutive cases of brain metastasis from colorectal cancer treated between 1999 and 2004 were identified in the files of the Division of Radiotherapy of the A Businco Regional Oncological Hospital, Cagliari. Their records were reviewed for patient and tumor characteristics and categorized according to the RTOG RPA classes. Results Fifteen patients (65%) had multiple metastases. Twenty-one patients (91%) showed extracranial metastases. Fourteen patients were classified as RTOG RPA class II and 9 class III. The median radiation dose delivered was 2000 cGy in 5 fractions in one week (range, 20-36 Gy). In 14 of 20 assessable patients (70%), symptomatic improvement was observed. The median follow-up and survival time for all the patients, 12 females and 11 males, was 3 months. In 3 patients only the cause of death was the brain metastasis. Conclusions Despite the disappointing survival time, external radiation therapy to the whole brain proved to be an efficacious palliative treatment for patients with multiple or inoperable brain metastasis from colorectal cancer.


Neurosurgery ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 73 (6) ◽  
pp. 1001-1006 ◽  
Author(s):  
Neal Luther ◽  
Douglas Kondziolka ◽  
Hideyuki Kano ◽  
Seyed H. Mousavi ◽  
Johnathan A. Engh ◽  
...  

Abstract BACKGROUND: Stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) to the resection bed of a brain metastasis is an important treatment option. OBJECTIVE: To identify factors associated with tumor progression after SRS of the resection bed of a brain metastasis and to evaluate patterns of failure for patients who eventually had tumor progression. METHODS: We performed a retrospective analysis of 120 patients who underwent tumor bed radiosurgery after an initial gross total resection. The mean imaging follow-up time was 55 weeks. The median margin dose was 16 Gy. Forty-seven patients (39.2%) underwent whole-brain radiation therapy before or shortly after SRS. RESULTS: Local tumor control was achieved in 103 patients (85.8%). Progression-free survival was 96% at 6 months, 87% at 12 months, and 74% at 24 months. Recurrence most commonly occurred deep in the cavity (65%) outside the planned treatment volume (PTV) margin (53%). PTV, cavity diameter, and a margin dose &lt; 16 Gy significantly correlated with local failure. For patients with PTVs ≥ 8.0 cm3, local progression-free survival declined to 93% at 6 months, 83% at 12 months, and 65% at 24 months. Development or progression of distant metastases occurred in 40% of patients. Whole-brain radiation therapy was not associated with improved local control. CONCLUSION: Resection bed SRS for brain metastases provided excellent local control. The cavity PTV is predictive of tumor control. Because failure usually occurs outside the PTV, inclusion of a judicious 2- to 3-mm margin beyond the area of postoperative enhancement may be prudent.


2011 ◽  
Vol 115 (1) ◽  
pp. 30-36 ◽  
Author(s):  
Russell R. Lonser ◽  
Debbie K. Song ◽  
Jacob Klapper ◽  
Marygrace Hagan ◽  
Sungyoung Auh ◽  
...  

Object Despite the increasing use of immunotherapy in the treatment of metastatic melanoma, the effects of this therapy on the management of patients with associated brain metastases are not completely defined. The authors undertook this study to determine the effectiveness of resection and the effects of immunotherapy on brain metastasis management. Methods The authors analyzed data pertaining to consecutive patients with metastatic melanoma treated with immunotherapy within 3 months of discovery of brain metastases that were surgically resected. Results Forty-one patients (median age 44.4 years, range 19.2–63.1 years) underwent resection of 53 brain metastases (median number of metastases 1, range 1–4). The median metastasis volume was 2.5 cm3. Fifteen patients underwent whole-brain radiation therapy (WBRT) and 26 patients did not. Duration of survival from brain metastasis diagnosis was not significantly different between patients who received WBRT (mean 24.9 months) and those who did not (mean 23.3 months) (p > 0.05). Local and distant brain recurrence rates were not statistically different between the WBRT (7.1% and 28.6%, respectively) and non-WBRT (7.7% and 41.0%) groups for the duration of follow-up (p > 0.05). An objective systemic response to immunotherapy was associated with increased duration of survival (p < 0.05). Conclusions Resection of melanoma brain metastases in patients treated with immunotherapy provides excellent local control with low morbidity. An objective response to systemic immunotherapy is associated with a prolonged survival in patients who have undergone resection of melanoma brain metastases. Moreover, adjuvant WBRT in melanoma immunotherapy patients with limited metastatic disease to the brain does not appear to provide a significant survival benefit.


2020 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Adomas Bunevicius ◽  
Karen Lavezzo ◽  
Leah Shabo ◽  
Jesse McClure ◽  
Jason P. Sheehan

OBJECTIVEQuality of life (QOL) is an important endpoint measure of cancer treatment. The authors’ goal was to evaluate QOL trajectories and prognostic value in cancer patients treated with stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) for brain metastases.METHODSPatients who underwent Gamma Knife radiosurgery (GKRS) between January 2016 and November 2019 were prospectively evaluated for QOL using the EQ-5D-3L questionnaire before SRS and at follow-up visits. Only patients who had pre-SRS and at least 1 post-SRS QOL assessment were considered.RESULTSFifty-four cancer patients underwent 109 GKRS procedures. The first post-SRS visit was at a median of 2.59 months (range 0.13–21.08 months), and the last post-SRS visit was at 14.72 months (range 2.52–45.21 months) after SRS. There was no statistically significant change in the EQ-5D index score (p = 0.539) at the first compared with last post-SRS visit. The proportion of patients reporting some problems on the EQ-5D dimension of self-care increased during the course of follow-up from 9% (pre-SRS visit) to 18% (last post-SRS visit; p = 0.03). The proportion of patients reporting problems on the EQ-5D dimensions of mobility, usual activities, pain/discomfort, and anxiety/depression remained stable during the course of follow-up (p ≥ 0.106). After adjusting for clinical variables, a higher recursive partitioning analysis (RPA) class (i.e., worse prognostic category) was independently associated with greater odds for EQ-5D index score deterioration (p = 0.050). Upfront whole-brain radiation therapy predicted deterioration of the EQ-5D self-care (p = 0.03) and usual activities (p = 0.024) dimensions, while a greater number of lesions predicted deterioration of the EQ-5D anxiety/depression dimension (p = 0.008). A lower pre-SRS EQ-5D index was associated with shorter survival independently from clinical and demographic variables (OR 18.956, 95% CI 2.793–128.64; p = 0.003).CONCLUSIONSQOL is largely preserved in brain metastasis patients treated with SRS. Higher RPA class, upfront whole-brain radiation therapy, and greater intracranial disease burden are independent predictors of post-SRS QOL deterioration. Worse pre-SRS QOL predicts shorter survival. Assessment of QOL is recommended in brain metastasis patients managed with SRS.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document