Behavior of brain metastases in lung cancer in Matanzas

Abstract

Introduction: in the last three decades, cardiovascular diseases and malignant neoplasms have become the main health problem in Cuba as a consequence of the steady improvement of the health levels, the prevention of the communicable diseases, and the increase of the life expectancy at birth; among them lung cancer stands out as the primary tumor that more frequently causes metastatic brain compromise. 

Objectives: to analyze the behavior of brain metastases in patients with lung cancer.

Materials and methods: a retrospective and descriptive study was carried out in 96 patients with cyto-histological diagnosis of lung cancer and brain metastases, who attended the external consultation of the Provincial Oncologic Center of Matanzas, from January 2013 to December 2016. Clinic-demographic data were obtained from the patients´ individual clinical reports and the Cancer Report document.

Results: the highest incidence of lung cancer  corresponds to people aged 45-64 years; it behaves very similar both in male and in female genders, thought the first one shows more quantity of  cases; white color skin predominated in both sexes. As for the brain metastases, they are more common from the fifth to the seventh decade of life.

Conclusions: brain metastasis appears from early ages and up to the elder age; the highest percent was diagnosed at the beginning of the disease, being this an important risk factor.