Affiliation:
1. From the Department of Human Oncology, University of Wisconsin Comprehensive Cancer Center, Madison, WI; and Oncology Clinical Development, Pharmacyclics, Sunnyvale, CA
Abstract
Purpose Brain metastasis (BM) is a major cause of suffering and health costs in cancer patients. Whole-brain radiation therapy (WBRT) offers tumor shrinking and palliation in many cases, but it has been speculated that these benefits may be outweighed by adverse effects on neurocognitive function (NCF). Patients and Methods Two hundred eight BM patients from the WBRT arm of phase III trial PCI-P120-9801 evaluating motexafin gadolinium were analyzed. NCF, assessed by tests of memory, executive function, and fine motor coordination, was correlated to magnetic resonance imaging–measured BM volume. NCF and survival were compared in 135 patients assessable at 2 months with tumor shrinkage below (poor responders) and above (good responders) the population median (45%). Mean NCF scores and BM volume at 4 and 15 months were compared. Results Good responders experienced a significantly improved survival (unidirectional P = .03). For all tests, the median time to NCF deterioration was longer in good compared with poor responders, with statistical significance seen for Trailmaking B (executive function), and two Pegboard tests (fine motor). In long-term survivors, tumor shrinkage significantly correlated with preservation of executive function and fine motor coordination (r = 0.68 to 0.88). During the early follow-up period, the population mean NCF scores were dominated by patients with progressive disease. A small subset of 15-month survivors had stable or improving scores, and greater mean BM reduction. Conclusion WBRT-induced tumor shrinkage correlates with better survival and NCF preservation. NCF is stable or improved in long-term survivors. Tumor progression adversely affects NCF more than WBRT does, thus making enhancement of radiation response a worthwhile aim in this patient population.
Publisher
American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO)
Reference15 articles.
1. Wen PY, Black PM, Loeffler JS: Metastatic brain cancer, in Devita V, Hellman S, Rosenberg SA (eds): Cancer: Principles and Practice of Oncology (ed 6). Philadelphia, PA, Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, pp 2665,2001-2670
2. Intracerebral metastases in solid-tumor patients: Natural history and results of treatment
3. Prognosis of patients treated for intracranial metastases with whole-brain irradiation
4. Stea B, Shaw E, Fortin A, et al: Efaproxiral (efaproxyn) as an adjunct to whole brain radiation therapy for the treatment of brain metastases originating from breast cancer: Updated survival results of the randomized REACH (RT-009) study. Proceedings of the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium , San Antonio, TX, December 8, 2004
5. Herman MA, Tremont-Lukats I, Meyers CA, et al: Neurocognitive and functional assessment of patients with brain metastases: A pilot study. Am J Clin Oncol 26:273,2003-279,
Cited by
280 articles.
订阅此论文施引文献
订阅此论文施引文献,注册后可以免费订阅5篇论文的施引文献,订阅后可以查看论文全部施引文献