Treatment and outcome of patients with brain metastases from non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC)

2009 ◽  
Vol 27 (15_suppl) ◽  
pp. e19058-e19058
Author(s):  
A. Ali ◽  
J. R. Goffin ◽  
A. Arnold ◽  
P. M. Ellis

e19058 Background: The prognosis of patients with brain metastases from NSCLC is generally poor. However, some reports suggest that the outlook of patients with brain metastases at the time of diagnosis may be similar to that of patients with advanced NSCLC without brain metastases. We undertook a retrospective review of NSCLC patients with brain metastases to examine the outcomes of care for patients with brain metastases from NSCLC. Methods: All new lung cancer patients seen in our institution between July 2005 and June 2007 were assessed for the development of brain metastases. Baseline characteristics, treatment and outcome data were extracted from the chart. The primary outcome of interest was a comparison of survival of patients with brain metastases at diagnosis compared with patients who developed brain metastases later. Results: 91 of 878 (10.4%) new patients seen over the 2 years developed brain metastases. There were 43 men and 48 women. The median age was 64 yrs (sd 10.6yrs). 45 patients had brain metastases at presentation while 46 developed brain metastases later. 34 (37%) had a solitary brain metastasis. 18 (20%) underwent surgical resection. The median overall survival for all patients was 7.8m. Patients with brain metastases at diagnosis had a significantly shorter overall survival than patients who developed brain metastases later (9.8m v 4.3m, p=0.001). Survival following diagnosis of brain metastases was similar for both groups (3.7m v 4.8m, p=0.53). Patients presenting with brain metastases were less likely to be referred to a medical oncologist (51% v 74%, p=0.02) and less likely to receive chemotherapy (18% v 41%, p=0.01). Conclusions: These data suggest that NSCLC patients with brain metastases at diagnosis have a significantly worse outcome than patients who develop brain metastases at a subsequent time point in their illness. Few patients received systemic therapy following diagnosis of brain metastases and further research is needed to determine the utility of chemotherapy in this patient group. No significant financial relationships to disclose.

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yanning Wang ◽  
Qianning Zhang ◽  
Chuansheng Chen ◽  
Yuxuan Hu ◽  
Liyun Miao ◽  
...  

BackgroundIn pivotal immunotherapy trials, the efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitors as treatments for lung cancer patients with brain metastases remains controversial. The aim of this study was to assess the relative efficacy of immunotherapy versus standard systemic therapy in advanced lung cancer patients with and without brain metastases.MethodsSystematic searches of PubMed, Embase, Cochrane database, and conference proceedings up to Aug 6, 2020 without year and language restrictions. The main outcomes were the overall survival in patients with and without brain metastases measured by hazard ratios, and the difference in efficacy between patients with and without brain metastases was measured by ratio of hazard ratios.ResultsNine eligible randomized controlled trials involving 6241 patients (682 [11%] with brain metastases and 5559 [89%] without brain metastases) were included in the analysis. A survival benefit of immunotherapy was observed for both patients with brain metastases (HR, 0.75; 95%CI, 0.53-0.97; P = .026) and patients without brain metastases (HR, 0.75; 95%CI, 0.67-0.83; P <.001). However, patients without brain metastases benefit more from immunotherapy than patients with brain metastases (HR, 1.37; 95%CI, 1.15-1.63; P = .001). Additionally, subgroup analyses indicated that tumor type affect the efficacy of immunotherapy in patients with brain metastases (HR, 1.04 vs 1.54; interaction, P = .041).ConclusionsImmunotherapy can significantly improve overall survival for advanced lung cancer patients with asymptomatic brain metastases, especially in patients with non-small-cell lung cancer, but the magnitude of benefit is brain metastases dependent.Systematic Review Registrationhttps://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?ID=CRD42020206597.


2017 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 146 ◽  
Author(s):  
J.N. Greenspoon ◽  
P.M. Ellis ◽  
G. Pond ◽  
S. Caetano ◽  
J. Broomfield ◽  
...  

Introduction Survival after a diagnosis of brain metastasis in non-small-cell lung cancer (nsclc) is generally poor. We previously reported a median survival of approximately 4 months in a cohort of patients treated with whole-brain radiotherapy (wbrt). Since that time, we implemented a program of stereotactic radiosurgery (srs). In the present study, we examined survival and prognostic factors in a consecutive cohort of patients after the introduction of the srs program.Methods Data from a retrospective review of 167 nsclc patients with brain metastasis referred to a tertiary cancer centre during 2010–2012 were compared with data from a prior cohort of 91 patients treated during 2005–2007(“pre-srs cohort”).Results Median overall survival from the date of diagnosis of brain metastasis (4.3 months in the srs cohort vs. 3.9 months in the pre-srs cohort, p = 0.74) was not significantly different in the cohorts. The result was similar when the no-treatment group was excluded from the srs cohort. Within the srs cohort only, significant differences is overall survival were observed between treatment groups (srs, wbrt plus srs, wbrt, and no treatment), with improved survival being observed on univariate and multivariate analysis for patients receiving srs compared with patients receiving wbrt alone (p < 0.001).Conclusions No improvement in survival was observed for nsclc patients with brain metastases after the implementation of srs. Selected patients (younger age, female sex, good performance status, fewer brain metastases) treated with srs appeared to demonstrate improved survival. However, those observations might also reflect better patient selection for srs or a greater tendency to offer those patients systemic therapy in addition to srs.


2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 241-254
Author(s):  
Pasquale Pisapia ◽  
Francesco Pepe ◽  
Antonino Iaccarino ◽  
Roberta Sgariglia ◽  
Mariantonia Nacchio ◽  
...  

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death worldwide. Despite the emergence of highly effective targeted therapies, up to 30% of advanced stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients do not undergo tissue molecular testing because of scarce tissue availability. Liquid biopsy, on the other hand, offers these patients a valuable opportunity to receive the best treatment options in a timely manner. Indeed, besides being much faster and less invasive than conventional tissue-based analysis, it can also yield specific information about the genetic make-up and evolution of patients’ tumors. However, several issues, including lack of standardized protocols for sample collection, processing, and interpretation, still need to be addressed before liquid biopsy can be fully incorporated into routine oncology practice. Here, we reviewed the most important challenges hindering the implementation of liquid biopsy in oncology practice, as well as the great advantages of this approach for the treatment of NSCLC patients.


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