A Large Scale Multi-dataset Investigation of Brain Metastases Distribution Based on Primary Cancer Type

Brain metastases (BM) present a significant clinical challenge, characterized by poor prognosis and high morbidity. Previous research has demonstrated heterogeneous distribution patterns of BMs depending on the primary tumor type. This study aims to further investigate the distribution patterns of BMs. Utilizing three public datasets and one private dataset, we analyzed 1,344 patients with a total of 9,431 identified BMs, categorizing them into lung, breast, melanoma, kidney cancer, and other groups. Our findings indicate that lung cancer BMs predominantly localize in the cerebellum, as well as the frontal, temporal, occipital, and parietal lobes. Breast cancer BMs are commonly found in the cerebellum, frontal, occipital, and temporal lobes, while melanoma BMs are most frequently located in the occipital, temporal, and frontal lobes. Kidney cancer BMs, less studied in existing literature, primarily affect the frontal and temporal lobes. Additionally, we explored the relationship between BM volume and tumor type, revealing that lung and breast cancer BMs are more likely to have smaller tumor volumes compared to melanoma and kidney cancer BMs. These findings confirm and expand upon previous research, offering new insights into the distribution and characteristics of kidney cancer BMs.