BRAIN METASTASES IN NEUROSURGERY - INDICATIONS, SURGICAL-PROCEDURES AND OUTCOME

Between July 1987 and June 1995, 1897 patients underwent operative the rapeutic procedures for resection of tumours of the central nervous sy stem in our department 252 patients (13.3%) suffered from a metastatic disease in the brain or spinal cord. They comprised 113 females and 1 39 males, The age distribution ranged between 14 and 86 years with a m edian age of 58 years. The histology of resected tumours was distribut ed among lung-(54), breast-(33), melanoma-(27), kidney-(23) and prosta te carcinoma(19). Other metastizing tumour sites were present in 96 ca ses. The age distribution of breast carcinoma ranged between 32 and 78 years with the median located at 54 years. 5 patients underwent a sur gical resection of a local recurrence with a median latency of 9 month s. Median survival time was estimated as 13 months with a one year sur vival of 63%. The aim of the study was to reflect on incidences, thera peutic procedures and outcome of brain metastatis.