Brain metastases are a significant complication of breast cancer and associated with low survival rates. However, the prognostic factors that influence outcomes after the diagnosis of brain metastases are not well-defined, especially for patients in Thailand. This study aims to identify the prognostic factors linked to overall survival in breast cancer patients who develop brain metastases. This study included 40 patients with breast cancer and brain metastases. Overall survival from brain metastasis diagnosis to death or last follow-up was analysed using Kaplan–Meier methods, with comparisons by log-rank test. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses were performed to identify prognostic factors. The median OS for the cohort was 4.0 months (95% confidence interval: 3.23–4.77), with survival rates at 6 and 12 months being 27.5% and 17.5%, respectively. Patients older than 60 years had a worse survival rate compared to those under 50. While hormone receptor-positive patients tended to have slightly better OS than those with HER2-positive and triple-negative subtypes, breast cancer subtype did not significantly affect survival outcomes. Patients who underwent surgery combined with whole-brain radiotherapy (WBRT) achieved the best results. In the multivariate analysis, age over 60 was identified as an independent predictor of poorer OS, with a hazard ratio of 4.38 (95% CI: 1.06–18.11; p = 0.041). Survival rates following the diagnosis of brain metastases in breast cancer patients remain low. Advanced age serves as an independent adverse prognostic factor, while aggressive treatments targeting the brain have been linked to improved survival outcomes.
Sripreechapattana et al. (Wed,) studied this question.