Stereotactic Radiosurgery for Brain Metastases in Patients With Small Cell Lung Cancer.

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 < .021). The number of treated BM was associated with different brain failure rates; 1-year central nervous system control rates were 39.2% for 1 to 2 BM, 27.6% for 3 to 5 BM, and 0% for >5 treated BM. Patients with previous WBRT had worse brain failure rates (P < .040). For patients without previous WBRT, the 1-year distant brain failure rate was 48%, and median time to distant failure was 15.3 months. Conclusions: SRS for SCLC in patients with <5 BM appears to offer acceptable control rates. Patients with >5 BM have high rates of subsequent brain failure and are not ideal candidates for SRS.

Stereotactic Radiosurgery for Poor Performance Status Patients.

PURPOSE: Patients with poor performance status (PS), usually defined as a Karnofsky Performance Status of 60 or less, were not eligible for randomized stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) studies, and many guidelines suggest that whole-brain radiation therapy (WBRT) is the most appropriate treatment for poor PS patients. METHODS AND MATERIALS: In this retrospective review of our SRS database, we identified 36 patients with PS of 60 or less treated with SRS for central nervous system (CNS) metastatic disease. PS, as defined by the Karnofsky Performance Status, was 60 (27 patients), 50 (8 patients), or 40 (1 patient). The median number of CNS lesions treated was 3. RESULTS: Median overall survival (OS) was 7.2 months (range, 0.73-25.6 months). Fifteen patients (41%) were alive at 6 months, and 6 patients (16.6%) were alive at 1 year. There was no difference in OS in patients who underwent previous WBRT. There were no local failures or cases of radiation toxicity. Distant CNS failures were seen in 9 patients (25%). CONCLUSIONS: Our patients with poor PS had reasonable median OS and relatively low distant CNS failure rates. Patients in this patient population may be ideal candidates for SRS compared with WBRT given the low incidence of distant failure over their remaining lives and the favorable logistics of single-fraction treatment for these patients with debility and their caregivers.