J Korean Soc Ther Radiol.  1991 Dec;9(2):197-204.

Prognostic Factors in Patients with Vrain Metastases from Non-Small Cell Lung Carcinoma

• Hong SE

Abstract

A retrospective study of 53 patients suffering from non-small cell carcinoma of lung with brain metastases is presented. They were treated in the Department of Therapeutic Radiology of Kyung Hee University Hospital from 1983 to 1990. There were 37 male and 16 female patients. The age range was 39 to 85 years (median=59). The most common histologic cell type of tumor was adenocarcinoma (50.9%), followed by squamous cell carcinoma and large cell carcinoma. All patients were treated with whole-brain photon irradiation(WBI) using lateral opposing fields. The overall median survival time was 5 months. Age, sex, histologic type, and initial performance status were not prognostically important. The most important prognostic factors were the response to radiotherapy and the presence of brain metastases alone. Lncreasing the dose of radiotherapy to the main bulk of tumor may improve the symptom-free survival or overall survival in patients who present with brain metastases as the sole site of extrathoracic disease.

Keyword

Non-small cell lung cancer; Brain metastases; Radiotherapy

MeSH Terms

Adenocarcinoma
Brain
Carcinoma, Large Cell
Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung
Carcinoma, Squamous Cell
Female
Humans
Lung*
Male
Neoplasm Metastasis*
Radiation Oncology
Radiotherapy
Retrospective Studies