Radiation-Induced Lymphopenia and Its Impact on Survival in Patients with Brain Metastasis

Abstract

Background: Differences in radiation-induced lymphopenia and prognosis between methods of radiotherapy (RT) for brain metastases remain unclear. Methods: In this retrospective analysis of patients who underwent whole-brain radiotherapy (WBRT) or stereotactic radiosurgery/radiotherapy (SRS/SRT) for brain metastases, baseline total lymphocyte count (TLC) data were obtained within 2 weeks before RT initiation. Follow-up TLC data were evaluated at 0–2, 2–4, and 4–8 weeks after RT completion. Persistent lymphopenia was defined as p p p = 0.60). Conclusion: This study suggests SRS/SRT might be preferable for lymphocyte preservation in brain metastasis patients.

Keywords

• lymphopenia
• brain metastasis
• whole-brain radiotherapy
• stereotactic radiosurgery
• stereotactic radiotherapy