Surgical management of cerebral metastases from non-small cell lung cancer

Abstract

Aims and background: The objective of the study was to assess the efficacy of surgical resection of solitary brain metastasis in patients with non-small-cell lung cancer.

Methods and study design: We report a retrospective analysis of 32 patients with single brain metastasis surgically excised at our hospital. All but one patient underwent postoperative whole brain radiation therapy.

Results: The median survival of patients was 12.5 months postoperatively (mean, 17 months), and the overall 1-year survival was 53%. Thirteen patients had recurrence of brain metastasis: 6 of 13 underwent reoperation for the recurrent lesion, and 1 of the 6 patients had a third craniotomy. Baseline characteristics, which significantly influenced survival, included age less than 60 years, tumor histology (ie, adenocarcinoma), and treatment of the primary lung cancer. The analysis did not yield any significant differences between treatment modalities.

Conclusions: Our findings correspond well with those reported in the literature and suggest that surgical resection of single brain metastasis in patients with non-small cell lung cancer can improve survival over conservative management. Furthermore, surgical treatment of the primary tumor and the single brain metastasis, combined or not with radiotherapy and chemotherapy, represents an approach that merits further investigation with more patients and a prospective longitudinal design.