title: Should all patients with SCLC receive prophylactic cranial irradiation if they have responded to treatment? PCI should be offered in nearly all cases.
abstract: Brain metastases are common in patients with small cell lung cancer (SCLC), and prophylactic cranial irradiation (PCI) has been shown to reduce the risk of brain metastases in these patients. But how great are the benefits, and do the benefits outweigh the toxicity? In this month's Counterpoints, Dr Ben J. Slotman makes the case for the use of PCI in nearly all patients with SCLC who have responded to treatment, whereas Jacob Yousef and Dr Henry Wagner argue that the role of PCI should be reassessed.
authors.affiliation: Vrije Universiteit Medical Center, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: Ben J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Slotman
mesh_terms: D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000556:secondary*; D016371:Cranial Irradiation / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D055752:Small Cell Lung Carcinoma / Q000473:pathology / Q000532:radiotherapy*