gdpawel
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Joined: 15 Jan 2005
Posts: 123
Location: Pennsylvania
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 Posted: Wed Nov 02, 2005 10:06 am Post subject: Treating four or more brain tumors |
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Treating four or more brain tumors in a single radiosurgery session resulted in improved survival
Medical Study News Published: Tuesday, October 18, 2005
Treating four or more brain tumors in a single radiosurgery session resulted in improved survival compared to whole brain radiation therapy alone, according to a study the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine presented at the 47th Annual Meeting of the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology (ASTRO) in Denver.
"Cancer patients with multiple metastases to the brain face very grim prognoses and limited treatment options," said John Flickinger, M.D., senior author of the study and professor of radiation oncology at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. "In the past, these patients were not considered candidates for radiosurgery. The results of our study indicate that treating four or more brain tumors with radiosurgery is safe and effective and translates into a survival benefit for patients."
Two hundred and five patients with primary malignancies that had metastasized to the brain underwent gamma knife radiosurgery for four or more tumors during one session. Gamma knife is a non-invasive, computer-driven, bloodless brain surgery that uses cobalt 60 to destroy tumors and vascular malformations and requires no surgical incisions. The average number of brain tumors for patients in the study was five, with a range from four to 18. Radiosurgery was used alone, in combination with whole brain radiation or after failure of whole brain radiation.
Radiosurgery patients with the most prognostic factors associated with survival from brain metastases (defined as class 1 according to the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group classification system for patients with brain metastases) survived an average of 18 months, compared to a reported historical average of seven months for those who received whole brain radiation alone. Patients defined as class 2 who received radiosurgery survived nine months compared to the historical average survival of four months for patients who received whole brain radiation. Patients with the least prognostic factors associated with survival (class 3) who received radiosurgery survived an average of three months compared to the historical average survival of two months for patients who received whole brain radiation. The average overall survival for patients who received radiosurgery was eight months and the average time to progression and new brain metastases was nine months.
"The study also found that the sum of the volume of all treated brain tumors was a more significant predictor of length of survival than was the total number of brain metastases, indicating that tumor volume should be used as a criterion for radiosurgery rather than number of brain metastases," added L. Dade Lunsford, M.D., Lars Leksell professor and chairman of the department of neurological surgery at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.
"Typically, only patients with one to three brain metastases are considered candidates for stereotactic radiosurgery," said Ajay K. Bhatnagar, M.D., study presenter and resident, department of radiation oncology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. "However, based on the results from this study, we conclude that the number of brain metastases should not necessarily preclude patients with multiple lesions from this potentially life-saving treatment option."
Also involved in the study from the University of Pittsburgh's departments of radiation oncology and neurological surgery was Douglas Kondziolka, M.D.
http://newsbureau.upmc.com/UPCI/GammaKnifeStudy2005.htm |
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gdpawel
Senior User
Joined: 15 Jan 2005
Posts: 123
Location: Pennsylvania
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| Posted: Fri Feb 03, 2006 6:17 pm Post subject: Long-Term Survival Possible with Radiosurgery for Brain Mets |
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Long-Term Survival Possible After Radiosurgery for Brain Metastases
By Will Boggs, MD
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) Jan 12 - Many patients can survive for years after effective gamma knife radiosurgery for brain metastases, according to a report in the December 15, 2005 issue of Cancer.
Brain metastases complicate as many as 40% of systemic malignancies, the authors explain, and stereotactic radiosurgery of these metastases can extend survival to 13 months or beyond, depending on tumor type.
Dr. Douglas Kondziolka from the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pennsylvania and colleagues assessed 44 patients who survived more than 4 years after radiosurgery to determine clinical and treatment patterns potentially responsible for their outcome.
The patients represented 6.5% of the patients with brain metastases who underwent radiosurgery between 1988 and 2000 at their institution. The median survival of these patients was 68 months, and 16 patients remained alive at the time of last follow-up, with a maximum survival of 156 months so far.
At the last follow-up, 99 of 133 (74.4%) brain metastases had regressed, 22 remained unchanged in volume (16.5%), and 12 (9%) had enlarged, the results indicate. Twenty-one of the patients required additional radiosurgery procedures, the researchers note, with one patient (who lived for more than 10 years) requiring seven radiosurgeries.
Compared with patients who died within the first 3 months after radiosurgery, this group showed no differences in age; gender; percentage of lung carcinoma, melanoma, or renal cell carcinoma; radiosurgery margin dose; use of prior whole brain radiation therapy; volume of the largest tumor; or total tumor volume.
Patients who lived more than 4 years had higher pre-radiosurgery Karnofsky performance scores, fewer metastases, and less extracranial disease burden than did patients who died in the early months after radiosurgery, the investigators observe.
"Despite our traditional methods to predict how patients with cancer will fare (cancer type, extent of cancer), some patients 'beat the odds' and do much better than anyone might have predicted," Dr. Kondziolka told Reuters Health.
"In order that we increase the number of such patients, we should continue to offer comprehensive cancer care, whenever appropriate, even in the appearance of negative findings (i.e., the appearance of brain metastases)," Dr. Kondziolka added. "When I discuss things with patients, I offer them hope that perhaps they will do much better than the textbooks might predict."
Cancer 2005;104:2784-2791. |
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