title: The first survival score for patients with brain metastases from small cell lung cancer (SCLC).
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Survival scores can help physicians select appropriate treatment for patients with brain metastasis. Primary tumors have different biological behavior justifying separate scoring systems for different tumors. In this study, a survival score was developed for patients with brain metastasis from SCLC.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data of 172 patients receiving whole-brain radiotherapy alone for brain metastasis from SCLC were included. Patients were assigned to a test (N=86) or a validation group (N=86). In the test group, Karnofsky Performance Score, number of brain metastases, and extracranial metastasis were associated with survival and included in the score. Scores for each factor were obtained from the 6-month survival rate divided by 10. According to the total scores, which represented the sum of the three scores, three prognostic groups were formed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  6-Month survival rates in the test group were 3% for 5-8 points, 40% for 9-12 points, and 89% for 15 points (p<0.001). In the validation group, 6-month survival rates were 3%, 41%, and 89% (p<0.001). The comparisons between the three prognostic groups of the test group and the validation group did not show significant differences.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This new score appears valid and reproducible. It can be used to personalize the treatment to patients with brain metastasis from SCLC.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany. Electronic address: Rades.Dirk@gmx.net.
authors.forename: Dirk
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Rades
authors.forename: Liesa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Dziggel
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Segedin
authors.forename: Irena
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Oblak
authors.forename: Viorica
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Nagy
authors.forename: Andreea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Marita
authors.forename: Steven E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Schild
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality* / Q000532:radiotherapy / Q000556:secondary*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D017567:Karnofsky Performance Status; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012737:Sex Factors; D055752:Small Cell Lung Carcinoma / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology*; D016019:Survival Analysis
keywords: Brain metastasis; Scoring system; Small-cell lung cancer; Survival prognosis; Whole-brain radiotherapy