PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - HANSEN, HEINKE C.
AU  - JANSSEN, STEFAN
AU  - THIEME, CATHRIN
AU  - PERLOV, ALEKSEJ
AU  - SCHILD, STEVEN E.
AU  - RADES, DIRK
TI  - Potential Impact of the Interval Between Imaging and Whole-brain Radiotherapy in Patients With Relatively Favorable Survival Prognoses
AID  - 10.21873/anticanres.13247
DP  - 2019 Mar 01
TA  - Anticancer Research
PG  - 1343--1346
VI  - 39
IP  - 3
4099  - http://ar.iiarjournals.org/content/39/3/1343.short
4100  - http://ar.iiarjournals.org/content/39/3/1343.full
SO  - Anticancer Res2019 Mar 01; 39
AB  - Background/Aim: The interval between diagnostic imaging and whole-brain radiotherapy (WBRT) had no significant impact on survival in our previous study of WBRT for brain metastases. Since median survival time was only 2 months, a potentially negative impact by delaying treatment could have been missed. Therefore, we performed an additional analysis of patients surviving at least 4 months following irradiation. Patients and Methods: The interval between diagnosis of brain metastases and WBRT and ten other factors were retrospectively analyzed for survival in 191 patients surviving 4 months or longer following WBRT. Results: On univariate analyses, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance score of 0-1, 1-3 brain metastases and absence of extra-cerebral metastases were significantly associated with longer survival, whereas the interval from diagnostic imaging to WBRT was not. On multivariate analysis, ECOG performance score remained significant, and extra-cerebral metastases showed a trend towards a longer survival. Conclusion: The interval between diagnostic imaging and WBRT didn't have a significant impact on patients surviving 4 months or longer. Depending on the need for symptom relief, WBRT may be postponed for very important reasons such as obtaining a multidisciplinary tumor board decision or definitive histology.