Survival Benefits of Radiotherapy and Surgery in Lung Cancer Brain Metastases with Poor Prognosis Factors.

Background: Radiotherapy and surgery are the standard local treatments for lung cancer brain metastases (BMs). However, limited studies focused on the effects of radiotherapy and surgery in lung cancer BMs with poor prognosis factors.

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 714 patients with lung cancer BMs. Analyses of overall survival (OS) and risk factors for OS were assessed by the log-rank test and Cox proportional hazard model.

Results: Age ≥ 65 years, a Karnofsky Performance Scale (KPS) score ≤ 70, anaplastic large-cell lymphoma kinase (ALK)/epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) wild type, and extracranial metastases were related to poor prognosis. Patients were stratified according to these poor prognosis factors. In patients with the ALK/EGFR wild type, whole brain radiotherapy (WBRT), stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS), and surgery improved the OS of patients. WBRT and SRS were the independent protective factors for OS. In patients with extracranial metastases, patients who received WBRT plus SRS or WBRT alone had longer OS than those who did not receive radiotherapy. WBRT plus SRS and WBRT were the independent protective factors for OS.

Conclusions: Radiotherapy and surgery are associated with improved survival for lung cancer BMs with the ALK/EGFR wild type. Radiotherapy is associated with improved survival in lung cancer BMs with extracranial metastases.