Particular aspects of cerebral metastases secondary to malignant melanoma in comparison with other brain metastases

Abstract

Authors present a retrospective study of 427 patients with brain metastases admitted and treated in third and fourth neurosurgical departments of Emergency Clinical Hospital “Bagdasar-Arseni” Bucharest, from January, 2005 until December, 2014. 62.1% of all patients were men and 37.9% were women, with a medium age of 56.8 years, ranging between 17 and 85 years. 311 patients (72.8%) had a single metastasis, 79 patients (18.5%) developed 2 or 3 metastases and 37 patients (8.7%) had more than 3 metastases. The biggest four metastases in multiple cases were noted in database regarding location, either reported to left / right hemisphere, either related to site (frontal parietal etc.), and dimensions. In the case of malignant melanoma (22 men and 24 women) the status of the primary tumor was noted: the malignant melanoma was operated in 32 cases (69.6%) and in 7 patients (15.2%) the primary tumor was not operated. In another 7 cases the status of the primary tumor was not noted. The most frequent location for malignant melanoma was the legs in women and anterior thorax in men. In conclusion, cerebral metastases from malignant melanoma have most frequent intratumoral hemorrhages, comparative with other primary sources. Common primary sites founded in this study is legs in women and anterior thorax in men. Treatment of cerebral metastases is complex, multimodal, implying neurosurgeons, oncologists and radiotherapists.

Keywords

• brain metastases
• malign melanoma
• intratumoral hemorrhages