Intra-arterial chemoperfusion for breast cancer brain metastases: safety and efficacy

BACKGROUND: This study presents a retrospective analysis of palliative intra-arterial chemoperfusion (IAC) for patients with symptomatic breast cancer brain metastases (BCBM) aiming to investigate the safety and efficacy of the treatment. METHODS: Thirteen patients with BCBM were treated using a total of 64 IACs, averaging 4.9 per patient. Overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) were calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method. Response to IAC was evaluated according to RECIST 1.1. RESULTS: There were no treatment-related major complications. A total of three patients (3/11) developed progressive disease. Five (5/11) patients achieved stable disease, two (2/11) partial response, and one (1/11) complete response, resulting in a local tumor control rate of 73% (8/11). Two (2/13) patients could not be evaluated according to RECIST 1.1. The median OS time was 8.2 months (95% CI: 7.7-8.7), and the median PFS time was 7.9 months (95% CI: 0.0-16.3). The mean OS time was 14.5 months (95% CI: 3.4-25.6), and the mean PFS time was 10.6 months (95% CI: 2.6-18.6). CONCLUSION: IAC can be applied as a safe method for palliative patients with BCBM. Further studies are necessary to definitively determine its efficacy.