Outcomes in 12 gynecologic cancer patients with brain metastasis: a single center's experience

Aim: To present 12 gynecologic cancer cases with brain metastasis and a discussion of the relevant literature. Gynecologic malignancy is the second most common cancer in elderly women, following breast cancer. These cancers usually spread locally at first, and common distant metastatic sites are the lungs, liver, spleen, and distant lymph nodes. The brain is not a usual site of metastatic involvement. Materials and methods:: The study included 12 cases with various gynecologic malignancies that were retrospectively analyzed. Therapeutic modalities, survival, and time between initial surgery and brain metastasis were recorded. Results: The mean survival was 41.4 months in 6 patients with ovarian cancer versus 27.7 months in those with other gynecological cancers. At the time of brain metastasis, the CA-125 level was elevated in all of the patients, except one that had cervical cancer. The mean CA-125 level was 202 IU mL-1. There were no differences in the mean overall survival between the patients that underwent surgical resection and those that received medical treatment. Conclusion: Brain metastasis can occur in all gynecologic cancers and has a poor prognosis, despite multimodal treatment.