Outcomes of brain metastasis in high-grade bone and soft tissue sarcoma: An analysis of clinicopathological characteristics and survival data

Abstract

Brain metastases in sarcoma are exceedingly rare, with few published series documenting ranges from 1% to 8%. This study investigated the outcomes of sarcoma patients with brain metastases using a population-based analysis. This was a retrospective review of 5933 patients with high-grade sarcoma identified from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database between 2010 and 2015. Of the eligible 5933 patients, 0.7% ( n = 44) had brain metastasis. Kaplan–Meier was used to estimate survival and follow-up (reverse Kaplan–Meier), and a multivariable Cox proportional hazards model analyzed prognostic factors of disease-free survival (DFS). Median (IQR) follow-up of all eligible patients was 28 months (12; 47). Patients who developed brain metastasis had a higher proportion of N1 stage disease ( p 0.05). For sarcoma patients with brain metastasis, the outcomes are poor and do not appear to differ by clinicopathologic factors. However, patients with certain histologies and synchronous metastases may warrant more frequent surveillance as there was an association of brain metastasis with these factors.