Gamma knife radiosurgery for management of cerebral metastases from esophageal carcinoma

Esophageal carcinoma rarely results in intracranial metastases but when it does, the patient prognosis is grim. Because of its rarity outcomes after stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) are not known. We sought to evaluate the outcomes of SRS in the management of esophageal cancer that has spread to the brain. This single institution retrospective analysis reviewed our experience with esophageal metastasis from 1987 to 2013. Thirty patients (36 SRS procedures) with a median age of 59 (37-86 years) underwent Gamma knife(A (R)) SRS. The esophageal origin was adenocarcinoma in 26 patients (87 %), squamous cell carcinoma in 3 patients (10 %), and mixed neuroendocrine carcinoma in 1 patient (3 %). Fifteen patients were treated for a single metastasis and 15 patients were treated for multiple metastases for a total of 87 tumors. The median tumor volume was 5.7 cm(3) (0.5-44 cm(3)) with a median marginal dose of 17 Gy (12-20 Gy). The median survival time from the diagnosis of brain metastasis was 8 months and the median survival from SRS was 4.2 months. This corresponded to a 6-month survival of 45 % and a 12-month survival of 19 % after SRS. A higher KPS at the time of procedure was associated with an increase in survival (p = 0.023). The local tumor control rate in this group was 92 %. Four patients had repeat SRS for new metastatic deposits. One patient developed a new neurological deficit after SRS. SRS proved an effective means of providing local control for esophageal metastases to the brain. Concomitant systemic disease progression at the time of brain metastasis resulted in poor long-term survival.