Patients with brain metastases after lung cancer surgery

Thirty five patients with brain metastases after lung resection for primary lung cancer were retrospectively reviewed. Of there, 19 patients (54.3%) had a solitary brain metastasis and 16 patients (45.7%) had multiple brain metastases. Eighteen (51.4%) of the 35 patients underwent brain operations. The five-year survival rate and median survival time (MST) were 20.0% and 9.5 months in patients with brain operations. In patients without brain operations, the MST was 4 months and no patients survived more than 13 months. The analysis of the several prognostic factors in the patients with brain operations revealed that only no metastases to other organs than brain at brain surgery significantly prolonged the survival. Five (27.8%) of 18 patients with brain surgery survived more than 3 years. All had a solitary brain metastasis without metastases to other organs. Four of them underwent operations from two to four times for brain metastasis. Such an aggressive surgical treatment may permit long-term survival in patients with a single brain metastasis.