{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,13]],"date-time":"2026-04-13T04:55:43Z","timestamp":1776056143494,"version":"3.50.1"},"reference-count":23,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,13]],"date-time":"2026-04-13T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1776038400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Oncol."],"abstract":"<jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Objective<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>To elucidate the clinicopathological characteristics and survival trajectories of patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) who developed brain metastasis (BM).<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>This retrospective analysis enrolled patients diagnosed with HNSCC and BM from three tertiary care institutions. Survival following the diagnosis of BM and the patterns of BM were examined.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>A total of 201 HNSCC patients with BM were analyzed, revealing an incidence rate of 1.1%. The median interval from the initiation of treatment to the diagnosis of BM was determined to be 2.5 years. The distribution of intracranial metastases was as follows: one metastasis in 65 cases, two or three in 84 cases, and four or more in 52 patients. Brain metastases were predominantly localized to the supratentorial region in 130 patients, while involvement of both supratentorial and infratentorial regions occurred in 56 patients. The majority of patients reported significant discomfort. All patients succumbed within two years of the initial BM diagnosis, with the median survival time of 3 months. In Cox model analyses, patients receiving whole-brain radiotherapy or stereotactic radiosurgery alone or those undergoing surgical intervention in conjunction with post-operative radiotherapy exhibited a reduced mortality risk compared to those receiving no treatment, with hazard ratios of 0.72 (95% confidence interval: 0.53-0.98) and 0.64 (95% confidence interval: 0.43-0.95), respectively.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Brain metastasis in patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma is a rare occurrence, often correlated with lung metastasis. Local therapy for brain metastases, primarily involving whole-brain radiotherapy, whether administered alone or alongside surgical interventions, was found to be associated with modest prolonged survival durations.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fonc.2026.1663296","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,13]],"date-time":"2026-04-13T04:37:09Z","timestamp":1776055029000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Brain metastasis in head and neck cancer: an analysis of 201 cases"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"16","author":[{"given":"Junhui","family":"Yuan","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University","place":["Fuzhou, Fujian, China"]},{"name":"Department of Medical Imaging, The Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Zhengzhou University & Henan Cancer Hospital","place":["Zhengzhou, Henan, China"]}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Hao","family":"Li","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Anesthesia, Wensu County People\u2019s Hospital, WCPH","place":["Akesu, China"]}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Wei","family":"Du","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Head Neck, The Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Zhengzhou University & Henan Cancer Hospital","place":["Zhengzhou, Henan, China"]}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Dairong","family":"Cao","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University","place":["Fuzhou, Fujian, China"]},{"name":"Department of Radiology, Fujian Key Laboratory of Precision Medicine for Cancer, The First Affiliated Hospital, Fujian Medical University","place":["Fuzhou, Fujian, China"]},{"name":"Department of Radiology, National Regional Medical Center, Binhai Campus of the First Affiliated Hospital, Fujian Medical University","place":["Fuzhou, Fujian, China"]}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,13]]},"reference":[{"key":"B1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ctrv.2024.102864","article-title":"Current status and future prospects of combined immunotherapy and epidermal growth factor receptor inhibitors in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma","volume":"132","author":"Tian","year":"2025","journal-title":"Cancer Treat Rev"},{"key":"B2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"E11","DOI":"10.3171\/2018.2.focus17761","article-title":"Brain metastasis from squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck: a review of the literature in the genomic era","volume":"44","author":"Barrett","year":"2018","journal-title":"Neurosurg Focus"},{"key":"B3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3389\/fonc.2024.1342669","article-title":"Hippocampal sparing in whole-brain radiotherapy for brain metastases: controversy, technology and the future","volume":"14","author":"Liu","year":"2024","journal-title":"Front Oncol"},{"key":"B4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"36","DOI":"10.1007\/s11864-024-01289-y","article-title":"The role of radiotherapy in the management of melanoma brain metastases: an overview","volume":"26","author":"Lens","year":"2025","journal-title":"Curr Treat Options Oncol"},{"key":"B5","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1002\/cam4.70522","article-title":"Is whole-brain radiotherapy for brain metastases an overestimated therapy? 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