89 research outputs found
Methods and results of local treatment of brain metastases in patients with breast cancer
This article presents methods and
results of surgical treatment and
radiation therapy of brain metastases in breast cancer patients (brain
metastases from breast cancer BMFBC). Based on the literature data, it
was shown that patients with single
BMF-BC, aged less than 65 years, with
Karnofsky score (KPS) of 70 or more
and with cured or controlled extracranial disease are the best candidates
to surgical treatment. Irrespective of
the extracranial disease control status, there are indications for surgery
in patients with symptomatic mass
effect (tumour diameter larger than
3 cm) and patients with obstructive
hydrocephalus from their BMF-BC.
Stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) has
some advantages over surgery, with
similar effectiveness: it may be used
in the treatment of lesions inaccessible to surgery, the number of lesion is
not a limiting factor if each lesion is
small (< 3) and adequate doses can
be delivered, it is not contraindicated in patients with active extracranial disease, it does not interfere with
ongoing systemic treatment, and it
does not require general anaesthesia
or hospitalisation. A disadvantage of
SRS, as compared to whole brain radiotherapy (WBRT), in patients with
BMF-BC is the possibility of subsequent development of new lesion in
the non-irradiated field. Thus the majority of the BMF-BC patients are not
good candidates to surgery or SRS;
WBRT alone or combined with a systemic treatment still plays a major role
in the treatment of these patient
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