[Analysis of prognostic factors for 63 patients with brain metastasis from lung cancer after radiochemotherapy].
OBJECTIVE
Brain metastasis is often found in the patients with lung cancer. Radiotherapy is regular and effective method, and it aims at palliating symptoms and prolonging survival time. However, now there are different viewpoints on protocols of radiotherapy and prognostic factors. A retrospective analysis was used to evaluate the results of treatment for 63 cases with brain metastasis from lung cancer and explore the prognostic factors.


METHODS
Sixty-three patients of brain metastasis from lung cancer from Jan. 1994 to Dec. 2000 were studied retrospectively. All of them have received radiotherapy (RT) and 42 cases received combined chemotherapy. The median dose of radiotherapy was 40Gy(24-62.4 Gy). Mean survival times from two factors were compared by t-test and the cumulative survival rate was analyzed by Kaplan-Meier estimates, and the influencing factors were screened by Cox proportional hazard model.


RESULTS
The mean survival times were 9.5 months in the radiochemotherapy group and 6.3 months in radiotherapy alone group, 9.3 months in good response group and 5.0 months in the poor response group (P = 0.043), 10.8 months in the > or = 50 Gy group and 6.7 months in the < 50 Gy group(P = 0.028), and 10 months in > or = 1.8 Gy fraction group and 4.8 months in the < 1.8 Gy fraction group (P = 0.015). Survival analysis results suggested that the patients with combined chemotherapy and good response have better prognosis.


CONCLUSIONS
Combined chemotherapy and efficacy at the end of treatment are independent prognosis factors of brain metastasis from lung cancer.
Han
Fei
F
Department of Radiation Oncology, Cancer Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510060, P. R. China. gzhanfei@163.com
Xia
Yun-fei
YF
Lu
Li-xia
LX
Liu
Hui
H
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000532:radiotherapy / Q000556:secondary*; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016019:Survival Analysis; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome