Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
ANNALS OF ONCOLOGY, cilt.36, sa.2025, ss.453-454, 2025 (SCI-Expanded, Scopus)
Background: Leptomeningeal carcinomatosis (LC) is a rare but devastating complication of breast cancer and is associated with poor prognosis. This study aimed to evaluate the clinical characteristics, treatment outcomes, and prognostic factors in patients diagnosed with breast cancer-related LC at our institution.Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 40 consecutive breast cancer patients diagnosed with LC between 2018 and 2023. Patient demographics, tumor characteristics, clinical presentation, diagnostic methods, treatment modalities, and survival outcomes were evaluated. Results: The median age at LC diagnosis was 54 years (range: 32—76). Breast cancer subtypes included hormone receptor-positive (45%), triple-negative (38%), and HER2-positive (17%). Lobular histology was observed in 5% of cases. The median interval from breast cancer diagnosis to LC development was 36 months (range: 0— 120), with significantly shorter duration in triple-negative disease (18 months, p<0.01). Diagnosis was established by cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) cytology in 70% of patients and by MRI findings in 30%. Treatment modalities included intrathecal chemotherapy (65%), systemic therapy (55%), radiotherapy (48%), and supportive care alone (15%). Following LC diagnosis, the median overall survival (OS) was 4.2 months (95% CI: 3.1—5.3), and the median progression-free survival (PFS) was 2.8 months (95% CI: 2.1—3.5). In multivariate analysis, good performance status at diagnosis (ECOG 0—1) (HR 0.42, p=0.003) and non—triple-negative subtype (HR 0.58, p=0.01) were significantly associated with both OS and PFS. Conclusions: Our findings confirm the poor prognosis of LC in breast cancer patients. Performance status and breast cancer subtype were identified as important determinants of survival. Multimodal treatment approaches may offer benefit in selected patients with favorable prognostic factors. Prospective studies are needed to optimize therapeutic strategies and improve outcomes.