Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
Eastern Journal of Medicine, cilt.29, sa.4, ss.503-508, 2024 (Scopus)
Leptomeningeal metastases (LM) occurs in approximately 5% of individuals diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer (BC). Both systemic and intrathecal (IT) agents can be used for treatment. However, data to support the effectiveness of IT therapy are insufficient. The primary aim of this study was to assess the efficacy and safety of IT therapy in BC patients with LM. This was a retrospective observational study. SPSS version 27 was used for statistical analysis. Kaplan–Meier and Cox regression analyses were used for survival analysis. The study included 14 patients (median age, 52 years). The predominant histopathological t ypes were invasive ductal carcinoma (57%) and invasive lobular carcinoma (36%). In IT treatment, methotrexate was used in 64% of the patients and trastuzumab was used in 36%. Notably, 36% of patients had a partial response, 14% had a stable response, and 5 0% had disease progression. It was found that approximately 50% of patients with positive cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) cytology beca me negative after treatment. Furthermore, toxicity of grade 2 or higher was observed in 49% of patients. The median progression-free survival duration among patients who received methotrexate was 1.46 months (95% CI, 0.29–2.0) and among those who received trastuzumab was 5.1 months (95% CI, 0–13.1). The median overall survival duration among all patients was 3.8 months. LM is an indicator of poor prognosis among patients with breast cancer. However, IT therapy is one of the few treatment options. IT trastuzumab should be considered as a treatment if leptomeningeal metastases develop in HER2-positive breast cancer.