Radiation Therapy Outcome among Breast Cancer Patients with Brain Metastasis: A 15-Year Retrospective Study

Author(s): Rolina Al-Wassia, Hafiz Asif Iqbal, Ahmed Mohamed Ameen Ahmed, Ahmed AbdelKhalek Hussein, Hanadi Fouad Habibullah, Mashail Taha Alsomali, Belal Sharaf

Objectives: This research aimed to elaborate the last day of radiation administration and relation to death time, determine the variables that could contribute to longer survival and investigate the significance between palliative care and radiation in terms of survival and symptom relief specifically for breast cancer patients. Methods: This retrospective study involved 56 breast cancer patients with brain metastasis from King Abdul Aziz University Hospital Jeddah and King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre-Jeddah KSA in 2005 to 2019. Socio-clinic- demographic data were used to determine GPA. Kaplan – Meier technique was utilized to determine the survival rate of patients starting on day of radiotherapy until mortality. Statistical analysis was carried out using IBM SPSS version 23. Results: Results revealed non-significant positive link between XRT to mortality and PCRTD. Findings showed that 19 out 0f 56 patients were not referred to palliative care. And those with longer months of XRT (n=13, 38.5%) were not referred to palliative. Statistical analysis showed that days of re-irradiation to XRT completion and time interval between PC referral were statistically correlated with PCRTD (p=0.005). Also, groups of ECOG scales, hormonal primary treatment, and time of RT to PC referral were found to be statistically different. Conclusion: The findings suggest that the timing of palliative care, as well as the timing of radiation therapy, is critical to patients' survival.