Treatment trends for patients with brain metastases: Does practice reflect the data?
BACKGROUND
Published guidelines regarding the optimal treatment strategies for brain metastases focus on patients with ≤3 lesions. As delivery techniques for stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) improve, radiation oncologists are increasingly using it for patients with >3 metastases. In the current study, the authors sought to characterize practice patterns among practitioners to identify areas of controversy.


METHODS
A survey of practicing radiation oncologists was distributed via e-mail. Responses were collected from April 1 to May 5, 2016. Survey data were analyzed.


RESULTS
A total of 711 currently practicing radiation oncologists responded, for a response rate of 12.5%. Specialists in central nervous system tumors (CNS specialists) were more likely to treat higher numbers of patients with brain metastases with SRS. There was a significant difference in the optimal "cutoff number" used when deciding how many lesions to treat with SRS versus whole-brain radiotherapy. Cutoff numbers were significantly higher for high-volume CNS specialists (≥10 patients/month) than for either low-volume CNS specialists (5-9 patients/month) or high-volume, non-CNS specialists (8.1 vs 5.6 and 5.1, respectively; P<.001). A majority of respondents (56%) identified patients with 4 to 6 brain metastases as being the most challenging patients to treat.


CONCLUSIONS
To the authors' knowledge, there appears to be no consensus regarding the optimal treatment strategy among patients with >3 brain metastases, and practice patterns are heterogeneous. Radiation oncologists, especially high-volume CNS specialists, are treating significantly more brain metastases with SRS than what currently is recommended by published consensus guidelines. Providers struggle with patients with a moderate intracranial disease burden. Further prospective studies are needed to support these practice patterns and guide decision making. Cancer 2017;123:2274-2282. © 2017 American Cancer Society.
Department of Radiation Oncology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California.
Kiri A
KA
Sandler
Department of Radiation Oncology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California.
Narek
N
Shaverdian
Department of Epidemiology, Fielding School of Public Health, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California.
Ryan R
RR
Cook
Department of Radiation Oncology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California.
Amar U
AU
Kishan
Department of Radiation Oncology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California.
Christopher R
CR
King
Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California.|Department of Neurosurgery, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California.
Isaac
I
Yang
Department of Radiation Oncology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California.|Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California.
Michael L
ML
Steinberg
Department of Radiation Oncology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California.|Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California.
Percy
P
Lee
D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000532:radiotherapy* / Q000556:secondary; D016371:Cranial Irradiation / Q000639:trends*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D059146:Metastasectomy; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians' / Q000639:trends*; D000072378:Radiation Oncologists; D016634:Radiosurgery / Q000639:trends*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
brain metastases; patterns of practice; radiation; stereotactic radiosurgery; whole-brain radiotherapy