Concurrent brain radiotherapy and EGFR-TKI may improve intracranial metastases control in non-small cell lung cancer and have survival benefit in patients with low DS-GPA score

Yongmei Liu, Lei Deng, Xiaojuan Zhou, Youling Gong, Yong Xu, Lin Zhou, Jin Wan, Bingwen Zou, Yongsheng Wang, Jiang Zhu, Zhenyu Ding, Feng Peng, Meijuan Huang, Li Ren, Tim Lautenschlaeger, Feng Ming Kong, You Lu

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

15 Scopus citations

Abstract

Epidermal growth factor receptor-tyrosine kinase inhibitor (EGFR-TKI) has intracranial activity in EGFR-mutant Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC). The optimal timing of brain radiotherapy (RT) and appropriate patients who need early brain RT remains undetermined. This is a retrospective study of EGFR-mutant NSCLC patients with newly diagnosed brain metastases (BMs) before EGFR-TKI initiation. Intracranial progression free survival (IC-PFS) and overall survival (OS) were measured from the date of EGFR-TKI treatment. A total of 113 patients were eligible, 49 received concurrent early brain RT with EGFR-TKI and 64 were treated with EGFR-TKI alone as initial therapy, including 27 with salvage RT upon BM progression. The patients with early brain RT had superior IC-PFS than those without early brain RT (21.4 vs 15.0 months, P=0.001), which remained significant in multivariate analysis (HR 0.30, P < 0.001). The median overall survival (OS) for early RT, EGFR-TKI alone and salvage RT groups was 28.1, 24.5, and 24.6 months, respectively (P=0.604). Similar IC-PFS (23.6 vs 21.4 months, P=0.253) and OS (24.6 vs 28.1 months, P=0.385) were observed between salvage RT and early RT groups. For patients with Diagnosis- Specific Graded Prognostic Assessment (DS-GPA) score of 0 to 2, early brain RT was the independent factor for improved OS (HR 0.33, P=0.025). In conclusion, concurrent early brain RT with EGFR-TKI may improve intracranial disease control in EGFRmutant NSCLC with BM and have survival benefit in patients with low DS-GPA score. Salvage brain RT upon BM progression may be acceptable in some patients.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)111309-111317
Number of pages9
JournalOncotarget
Volume8
Issue number67
DOIs
StatePublished - 2017

Keywords

  • Brain metastasis
  • Brain radiotherapy
  • EGFR mutation
  • EGFR-TKI
  • Non-small cell lung cancer

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Oncology

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