Characteristics of long-term survivors of brain metastases from lung cancer

✍ Scribed by Milena Niemiec; Maciej Głogowski; Dobromira Tyc-Szczepaniak; Marek Wierzchowski; Lucyna Kępka

• Publisher: Wielkopolskie Centrum Onkologii
• Year: 2011
• Tongue: Polish
• Weight: 157 KB
• Volume: 16
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 1507-1367
• DOI: 10.1016/j.rpor.2011.01.002

✦ Synopsis

Background and aim:

Long-term survival of lung cancer patients with brain metastases (bm) is very rare. our aim is to report the characteristics of patients who survived for at least three years after a bm diagnosis.

Materials and methods:

Nineteen lung cancer patients who had survived ≥3 years after a bm diagnosis were identified in our database. seven (37%) had undergone whole-brain radiotherapy (wbrt) only, five (26%) bm surgery + wbrt, three (16%) bm surgery + wbrt + bm radiosurgery, and four (21%) no wbrt (one, surgery; one, radiosurgery; two, bm surgery + radiosurgery). their characteristics were compared with historical data for 322 lung cancer patients with bm (control group, cg), who had received wbrt between 1986 and 1997.

Results:

Median survival from bm in long survivors group was 73 months (in cg - 4 months). characteristics comparison: median age 55 vs. 58 (cg), p = 0.16; female sex 68% vs. 28% (cg), p = 0.003; rtog/rpa class 1 - 75% vs. 13% (cg), p = 0.00001; adenocarcinoma histology 84% vs. 24% (cg), p < 0.00001; control of primary tumor 95% vs. 27% (cg), p < 0.00001; extracranial metastases 0 vs. 26% (cg), p = 0.01; single bm 63% vs. 9% (cg), p = 0.00001; surgery of bm 53% vs. 14% (cg), p = 0.00001.

Conclusions:

Beside prognostic factors already recognized as favorable in patients with bm, the adenocarcinoma histology and female sex were prevalent in long-term survivors of bm from lung cancer.