Incidence of brain metastasis according to patient race and primary cancer origin: a systematic review

Purpose A systematic review was conducted to investigate differences in incidence and primary origin of synchronous brain metastasis (sBM) in varying racial groups with different primary cancers. Methods Adhering to PRISMA 2020 guidelines a search was conducted using PubMed and Ovid databases for publications from January 2000 to January 2023, with search terms including combinations of “brain metastasis,” “race,” “ethnicity,” and “incidence.” Three independent reviewers screened for inclusion criteria encompassing studies clearly reporting primary cancer sites, patient demographics including race, and synchronous BM (sBM) incidence. Results Of 806 articles, 10 studies comprised of mainly adult patients from the United States met final inclusion for data analysis. Higher sBM incidence proportions were observed in American Indian/Alaska native patients for primary breast ( p