title: Radiation therapy for brain metastases from malignant melanoma.
abstract: Thirty-nine patients who completed whole-brain irradiation treatment for brain metastases from malignant melanoma were analyzed. Median survival was 2 months, mean survival 4 months. Only 3 patients survived for 1 year, the longest survival being 19 months after irradiation. Twenty-one (53.8%) showed marked clinical improvement and 6 (40%) of the 15 evaluable patients had some objective regression of the brain metastases. A treatment of 7 fractions of 4.8 Gy in 9 to 14 days and concomitant chemotherapy with dacarbazine and lomustine in 16 patients was well tolerated. This seems to be a beneficial treatment for patients with a comparatively small intracranial tumour burden.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000401:mortality / Q000532:radiotherapy / Q000556:secondary*; D003606:Dacarbazine / Q000627:therapeutic use; D004307:Dose-Response Relationship, Radiation; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008130:Lomustine / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008297:Male; D008545:Melanoma / Q000401:mortality / Q000556:secondary; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis
chemical_list: D008130:Lomustine; D003606:Dacarbazine