SITE OF SOLITARY BRAIN METASTASES - A SURVIVAL DETERMINANT

The aim of this retrospective study was to evaluate the prognostic val ue of the site of brain metastases. Material and methods: Four groups of patients with solitary infra- or supratentorial metastases treated either with surgery plus radiotherapy or radiotherapy alone were analy zed. All other relevant prognostic factors were equally distributed be tween those groups. Results: Patients with infratentorial lesions requ ired treatment with higher doses of corticosteroids during irradiation . They also frequently failed to complete their prescribed treatment c ourse. Uni- and multivariate analyses showed a significant survival di sadvantage for patients with infratentorial brain metastases. They had a hazard ratio of death of 2.5 (p = 0.01). Conclusion: This analysis suggests that site of brain metastases is an important prognostic fact or as well as extracranial disease activity and some other parameters known from the literature.