Breast cancer intracranial metastases epidemiology

In adults, lung and breast Ca together account for > 50% of cerebral mets

Intracranial metastases commonly occurs in breast cancer and has been identified in about 20% to 24% of breast cancer patients 1) 2).

It is the 2nd commonest cause of intracranial metastases after lung cancer 3).

As patients with advanced breast cancer live longer due to improvements in systemic therapies, the incidence of brain metastases (BM) appears to be increasing 4).

1)
De Ieso PB, Schick U, Rosenfelder N, Mohammed K, Ross GM. Breast cancer brain metastases: a 12 year review of treatment outcomes. Breast. 2015;24:426–433.
2)
Rostami R, Mittal S, Rostami P, Tavassoli F, Jabbari B. Brain metastasis in breast cancer: a comprehensive literature review. J Neurooncol. 2016;127:407–414.
3)
Barnholtz-Sloan JS, Sloan AE, Davis FG, Vigneau FD, Lai P, Sawaya RE. Incidence proportions of brain metastases in patients diagnosed (1973–2001) in the metropolitan detroit cancer surveillance system. J Clin Oncol. 2004;22(14):2865–2872. doi:10.1200/JCO.2004.12.149.
4)
Frisk G, Svensson T, Backlund LM, Lidbrink E, Blomqvist P, Smedby KE. Incidence and time trends of brain metastases admissions among breast cancer patients in Sweden. Br J Cancer. 2012;106(11):1850–1853. doi:10.1038/bjc.2012.163.