Background: The prevalence of brain metastases (BM) surpasses that of other intracranial neoplasms in adults. Surgical
intervention for the management of brain metastases has led
to considerable controversy. Patients exhibiting specific clinical characteristics may potentially achieve extended survival
rates when undergoing resection as opposed to radiation therapy. Therefore, in the context of well-controlled systemic cancer,
surgical intervention is strongly recommended for patients who
have a single metastatic lesion. The combination of positron
emission tomography and computed tomography (PET/CT) is
a frequently utilized imaging technique in the field of oncology.
It offers a distinct blend of cross-sectional anatomical data from
CT and metabolic information from PET scans.
Aim of Study: To determine the efficacy of surgical excision
of a single metastatic lesion and the diagnostic performance of
brain-included whole-body PET/CT in the identification and
assessment of brain metastases, this retrospective study was
conducted.
Patients and Methods: The study was conducted over a
period of 24 months on 27 patients having extra-cranial malignancies with single brain metastases with preoperative brain-included whole-body PET/CT.
Results: Male were predominant (3:1), and bronchogenic carcinoma was the most frequently primary malignancy.
Headache, fits, heaviness, and vomiting were the most obvious
symptoms. Out of the total of 27 patients, 18 (67%) had brain
metastases of unknown origin, whereas 9 (33%) had brain metastases from recognized source tumors. Following a comprehensive FDG-PET/CT scan that covered the brain, it was determined that 12 patients (44.4%) had bronchogenic carcinoma, 3
patients (11%) had renal cell carcinoma, and 3 patients (11%)
had breast cancer.
Conclusions: Surgery is a highly successful option for
managing tumors, especially in situations of single brain metastasis. It is a crucial component of the treatment plan for brain
metastases. Whole-body FDG-PET/CT, including the brain,
Correspondence to: Dr. Ahmed Atallah Saad,
E-Mail: ahmed.atallah09@kasralainy.edu.eg
offers significant additional information for assessing patients
who are suspected to have brain metastases (BM). |
