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[Surgical treatment of brain metastases]
1Servicio de Neurocirugía, Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, Barcelona, España.
Introduction:
Up to 40% of the patients with cancer have cerebral metastases, so that their incidence in the general population reaches 0.15%. Different treatments for metastases have been described. Most aim to eradicate one or several metastases so as to improve the quality of life and life expectancy of the patients.
Development:
The main factors determining the prognosis and indication for surgery are age, functional state and extent of the neoplastic disease. The presence of more than one metastasis does not contraindicate surgery.
Conclusions:
The development of new surgical techniques over the past twenty years has led to a reduction in operative morbidity and mortality. Surgery followed by holocranial radiotherapy is still the method of choice for the treatment of metastases. In cases in which surgical treatment is not indicated, radiosurgery may be done.