Table 1.

Breast cancer patients with brain metastases treated with whole brain radiotherapy, 1999–2012 (total N = 241)

Characteristics	Patients	%
At the time of WBRT	N
Age (years)
30–49	67	28
50–69	137	57
70+	37	15
Median (range)	58 (30–88)
Calendar year
1999–2001	38	16
2002–2004	29	12
2005–2007	47	19
2008–2010	74	31
2011–2012	53	22
No of brain metastases
1–3 (size 5–55 mm)	33	14
4–6	26	11
7–9	11	5
Massive	116	48
Leptomeningeal	53	22
Missing	2	1
Time between diagnosis of breast cancer and WBRT
0–3 years	94	9
3–6 years	72	30
>6 years	75	31
WBRT dose
4 Gy × 5	212	88
3 Gy × 10	27	12
2 Gy × 20	1	0
Missing	1	0
WBRT completion
Yes	228	95
No	13	5
Other metastases
Only brain	60	25
Brain + viscerala	51	21
Brain + non visceralb	45	19
Brain + multiple	85	35
WHO performance status score
0–1	128	53
2	71	29
3–4	41	17
Missing	1	0
Family situation
Married/cohabitation	96	40
Married/cohabitation, w/children	70	29
Alone, w/children	12	5
Alone	62	26
Missing	1	0
Level of care (1 week before WBRT)
Home	145	60
Hospital	88	37
Palliative inpatient care	8	3
At primary breast cancer diagnosis
Stage
1	44	21
2	108	50
3	40	19
4	22	10
ER
ER+	135	56
ER−	104	43
Missing ER	2	1
HER2
HER2+	79	33
HER2−	110	46
Missing HER2	52	22
Subtype
Luminal A	65	27
Luminal B	36	15
HER2 type	43	18
Triple negative	45	19
Missing	52	22
Palliative treatments before WBRT
No of palliative chemotherapy regimens
Median (range)	2 (0–9)
Missing	5	2
Palliative endocrine therapy
No	150	62
Yes	82	34
Palliative trastuzumab
No	172	71
Yes	60	25
Missing	9	4

^aLung and/or liver metastases

^bSkin, loco-regional and/or bone metastases