Evidence map›Paper›PMID 37943775›Full record

ArticlePloS one2023

Neuroanatomical location of brain metastases from solid tumours based on pathology: An analysis of 511 patients with a comparison to the provided clinical history.

Michael Bonert, Alison Berzins, Housne Begum, Jens Schittenhelm, Jian-Qiang Lu, Rosalyn A Juergens, Anand Swaminath, Jean-Claude Cutz, Asghar H Naqvi

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in PloS one, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed
1.0field-weighted citation impact, top 20% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

4 citing papers in PubMed, 4 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. The Fronto-Temporal Cortex Has Increased Subcortical Connectivity In Utero and Plasticity in Adulthood.The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience · 2026
    Article
  2. Article
  3. Review
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors at 4 institutions in 2 countries.

Michael BonertAnatomical Pathology, Pathology and Molecular Medicine, St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton, McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada.ORCID 0000-0002-5049-0189
Alison BerzinsAnatomical Pathology, Pathology and Molecular Medicine, St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton, McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada.
Housne BegumMcMaster University, Hamilton, and Health Services Management, Toronto Metropolitan University, Toronto, Canada.
Jens SchittenhelmDepartment of Neuropathology, Institute of Pathology and Neuropathology, University Hospital of Tuebingen, Eberhard Karls University of Tuebingen, Tübingen, Germany.ORCID 0000-0002-9168-6209
Jian-Qiang LuNeuropathology, Pathology and Molecular Medicine, Hamilton Health Sciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada.ORCID 0000-0003-1945-5569
Rosalyn A JuergensMedical Oncology, Oncology, Hamilton Health Sciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada.
Anand SwaminathRadiation Oncology, Oncology, Hamilton Health Sciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada.
Jean-Claude CutzAnatomical Pathology, Pathology and Molecular Medicine, St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton, McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada.ORCID 0000-0001-7895-3467
Asghar H NaqviAnatomical Pathology, Pathology and Molecular Medicine, St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton, McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada.
St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton · CAHamilton Health Sciences · CAToronto Metropolitan University · CAUniversity of Tübingen · DE

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Brain metastases are a frequent occurrence in neuropathology practices. The literature on their neuroanatomical location is frequently derived from radiological analyses. This work examines brain metastases through the lens of pathology specimens. All brain surgical pathology reports for cases accessioned 2011-2020 were retrieved from a laboratory. Specimens were classified by neuroanatomical location, diagnosis and diagnostic category with a hierarchical free text string-matching algorithm (HFTSMA) and also subsequently audited. All reports classified as probable metastasis were reviewed by a pathologist. The provided history was compared to the final categorization by a pathologist. The cohort had 4,625 cases. The HFTSMA identified 854 cases (including metastases from a definite primary, metastases from primary not known and improperly classified cases). 514/854 cases had one definite primary site per algorithm and on report review 538/854 cases were confirmed as such. The 538 cases originated from 511 patients. Primaries from breast, gynecologic tract, and gastrointestinal tract not otherwise specified were most frequently found in the cerebellum. Kidney metastases were most frequently found in the occipital lobe. Lung, metastatic melanoma and colorectal primaries were most commonly found in the frontal lobe. The provided clinical history predicted the primary in 206 cases (40.3%), was discordant in 17 cases (3.3%) and non-contributory in 280 cases (54.8%). The observed distribution of the metastatic tumours in the brain is dependent on the primary site. In the majority (54.8%) of cases, the provided clinical history was non-contributory; this suggests surgeon-pathologist communication may have the potential for optimization.

Indexed as

Brain NeoplasmsKidney NeoplasmsMelanomaBrainFemaleHumansOccipital Lobe

Identifiers

PMID37943775
PMCPMC10635465
OpenAlexW4388540944

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.