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Surgery for metastatic intracranial neoplasm
Author(s) -
Haar Floyd,
Patterson Russel H.
Publication year - 1972
Publication title -
cancer
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.052
H-Index - 304
eISSN - 1097-0142
pISSN - 0008-543X
DOI - 10.1002/1097-0142(197211)30:5<1241::aid-cncr2820300515>3.0.co;2-5
Subject(s) - medicine , malignancy , surgery , primary tumor , metastatic tumor , neoplasm , lung , brain tumor , metastasis , cancer , pathology
The course of 167 patients with a surgically treated metastatic brain neoplasm is reviewed. The most common primary site was lung (37%) followed by breast and skin. Three quarters of the patients had a previous history of malignancy, and one third had a tumor visible on chest roentgenogram. Operative mortality was below 10% after 1950, and was lowest when complete tumor removal was achieved. Corticosteroids had little effect on operative mortality. Median survival after surgery was 6 months, but seven patients survived 5 years or more. Survival was longer if the primary tumor had been adequately treated previously. Surgery is indicated to establish the diagnosis in a patient without a known primary tumor or in one without evidence of dissemination except for a solitary brain tumor. In the latter instance, longterm palliation sometimes rewards aggressive management.