Abstract
Clinical courses of 10 patients with brain metastasis from colorectal carcinoma were retrospectively analyzed; seven patients received surgical treatment, either total or partial removal of the metastatic tumor, and three received conservative treatment only. In the surgically treated group, one patient lived 15 months after removal of the brain metastasis, and only two died of brain metastasis. On the other hand, all three non-surgically treated patients died within three months after the detection of brain metastasis, two of them died of brain metastasis, two of them died of brain metastasis. Surgical treatment was effective in alleviating neurological symptoms to some extent in all patients, but conservative maneuvers afforded slight temporary relief in only one of the three. We are of the opinion that surgical removal of a brain metastasis from colorectal carcinoma can not only alleviate neurological symptoms but also prolong patient' lives.
