Prognostic factors in patients surviving for more than 1 or 5 years after removal of metastatic brain tumors.

Favorable and unfavorable prognostic factors were identified in 28 patients surviving for more than 1 year after surgery for metastatic brain tumor and 18 patients surviving for more than 5 years. A high incidence of favorable factors, including neurological grade and location of the brain lesion, indicated significance in the prognosis. A low incidence of favorable factors, including tumor-free interval and presence or absence of extracranial tumor, indicated little significance to the prognosis.