Occurrence and distribution of bone metastases in 984 metastatic breast cancer patients
Huangchengyu Nie, Yang Yuan, Jianbin Li, Fengrui Xu, Tao Wang, Li Bian, Zefei Jiang, Shaohua Zhang
Abstract
Background: An analysis of occurrence and distribution of bone metastases in metastatic breast cancer patients. Methods: This is a retrospective study of 984 metastatic breast cancer patients with bone metastases who were enrolled in our study from January 1, 2010 to December 31, 2019. The main observation indicators were the time of occurrence and the distribution of bone metastases. Results: Computed tomography (CT) was the most common diagnostic method. The main molecular subtype of breast cancer patients with bone metastases was hormone-receptor positive, accounting for 87.2% (858/984) of the study group. Meanwhile, 72.2% (710/984) of the patients were diagnosed with bone metastases within 5 years after the initial diagnosis of breast cancer, and the proportion of patients with bone metastasis found in the 2 to 5 years was the highest. Most bone metastases of breast cancer were multiple osteolytic lesions, the distribution was regular, and axial bones such as chest bones and spine bones were more common than other bones. The most common metastatic site was the ribs (13.4%), followed by the thoracic vertebrae (12.4%), pelvis (12.2%), lumbar vertebrae (12.1%), and sternum (10.5%). Examination of treatment methods revealed that chemotherapy was the most common systemic comprehensive approach, accounting for 89.6% (883/984) of cases, while bone-modifying agents were the most commonly used local treatment for bone metastases, accounting for 86.5% (851/984) of cases. Conclusions: Breast cancer bone metastases have certain clinical features, and understanding the occurrence time and distribution of bone metastases can help guide the clinical diagnosis and treatment of this condition.