The role of palliative radiotherapy in brain metastases

Abstract

In this study, patients with brain metastases who were applied palliative cranial radiotherapy have been analysed for objective and clinic response; correlation between these and factors which effect objective response. Between January 1993-February 1994, 33 patients with brain metastases were treated with palliative cranial radiotherapy and 7 patients were out of this study because of the death before evaluation of response. Dose schedules applied to whole brain were 3 Gyx10 for fifteen patients, and 2 Gyx20 for 11 patients. Clinic response has been evaluated one month alter completion of radiotherapy. Complete, partial and stationary response rates were 58% (15 patients), 23% (6 patients) and 15% (4 patients) respectively. Objective response has been evaluated with computerized tomography at the same time with clinic response. Complete, partial and stationary response rates were 42% (11 patients), 39% (10 patients) and 15% (4 patients) respectively and also in one patient, progression has been established (4%). Though, in 14 patients there was an exact correlation between objective and clinic response, in 7 patients clinic response was better than objective response, and 5 patients had the opposite. When the correlations between primary tumor location, histopathologic diagnosis, diameter of lesion, dose per fraction, boost: and objective response were analyzed, only primer tumor location and histopathologic diagnosis was found significant statistically. Patients with squamous cell lung cancer had higher objective response rates than others.