Aim

Brain metastases are a rare complication of cancers arising from the gastrointestinal tract. Excising brain metastases is a common practice however data validating this approach is lacking. We sought to examine the demographics and clinical course of patients with excised cerebral metastases.

Methods

A retrospective audit of patients undergoing excision of brain metastases was performed. Cases were identified by interrogating the pathology database

Results

Between 2005 and 2010, 26 patients had excised symptomatic brain metastases. Seventeen (65%) were male and the median age was 66 years (range 42-92). Colorectal cancer was the most frequent primary (n=19) followed by oesophageal (n=3) and gastric (n=3). Overall median survival was 192 days (34-681). Majority of patients (81%) underwent post-operative whole brain radiotherapy.

Conclusion

Excision of brain metastases from gastrointestinal cancers with post-operative radiotherapy is a reasonable treatment strategy. More randomised studies are required in determining the optimal treatment approach.