Advances in Radiation Oncology (Sep 2023)
Stereotactic Radiosurgery for Brain Metastases in Patients With Small Cell Lung Cancer
Abstract
Purpose: Treatment of small cell lung cancer (SCLC) with brain metastatic disease has traditionally involved whole brain radiation therapy (WBRT). The role of stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) is unclear. Methods and Materials: Our study was a retrospective review of an SRS database evaluating patients with SCLC who received SRS. A total of 70 patients and 337 treated brain metastases (BM) were analyzed. Forty-five patients had previous WBRT. The median number of treated BM was 4 (range, 1-29). Results: Median survival was 4.9 months (range, 0.70-23.9). The number of treated BM was correlated with survival; patients with fewer BM had improved overall survival (P 5 treated BM. Patients with previous WBRT had worse brain failure rates (P 5 BM have high rates of subsequent brain failure and are not ideal candidates for SRS.