Brain metastasis in patients with esophageal carcinoma

Abstract

Background: Brain metastasis from esophageal carcinoma is rare, and its natural history is unclear. To determine predictors for their outcomes, we conducted a retrospective review of patients.

Methods: We treated 803 patients with metastatic brain tumors, and there were 17 patients with brain metastases from esophageal carcinoma. Their median age at the diagnosis was 57 years.

Results: In the 15 patients with the pretreatment KPS of 70 or higher, the median survival after the diagnosis of brain metastasis was 26.2 months. Seven patients showed the median survival of 17.7 months after resection alone. The median survival was 65.5 months in the 3 patients who were treated with resection plus radiation.

Conclusions: Neurosurgical resection followed by WBRT seemed to be the indicated treatment in these patients.