What are the Real Benefits Versus Risks of Preventative Brain Radiation for Patients With Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer?

What are the Real Benefits Versus Risks of Preventative Brain Radiation for
Patients With Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer?

CHICAGO, Nov. 2 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Patients with non-small cell lung
cancer treated with preventative brain radiation (called prophylactic cranial
irradiation or PCI), significantly decrease their risk of developing brain
metastases (cancer spread in the brain) by more than 50 percent (from 18
percent to 8 percent), compared to those who did not receive the treatment,
according to a randomized study presented at the plenary session November 2,
2009, at the 51st Annual Meeting of American Society for Radiation Oncology
(ASTRO).

While there were no significant differences in quality of life, patients who
received PCI did have a significantly increased risk of short and long-term
memory loss. The study also found that patients who underwent PCI did not live
longer than patients who did not receive this treatment.

"This is the first randomized study to analyze neurocognitive and quality of
life factors for non-small cell lung cancer patients who undergo PCI,"
Benjamin Movsas, M.D., presenter of this Radiation Therapy Oncology Group
(RTOG) study and chairman of radiation oncology at Henry Ford Hospital in
Detroit said. "With better, more targeted treatments, more lung cancer
patients are surviving longer and are at increased risk of developing brain
metastases. This study provides key information that will lead to a better
understanding of the true risks versus benefits of this intervention."

PCI is a preventative type of external beam radiation therapy that treats the
entire brain to try to sterilize potential invisible tumor cells that are so
small they cannot even be seen on sensitive imaging tests. The risk of cancer
developing in the brain increases as people with non-small cell lung cancer
are surviving longer due to more effective treatments.

In this study, 340 eligible patients from 127 RTOG institutions with Stage III
non-small cell lung cancer whose cancer had not progressed after undergoing
treatment were randomized to be treated with PCI or undergo observation from
September 2002 to August 2007.

"It's critical for studies to not only report on patient outcomes, such as
local control and survival, but also on how the treatments affect the
patients, including neurocognition and quality of life factors," Dr. Movsas
said. "We need the 'whole picture' in order to be able to accurately assess
and discuss treatment options with our patients."

The study was supported by grants from the National Cancer Institute.

For more information on radiation therapy for lung cancer, visit
www.rtanswers.org.

The abstract, "Phase III Study of Prophylactic Cranial Irradiation (PCI)
versus Observation in Patients with Stage III Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer
(NSCLC): Neurocognitive and Quality of Life (QOL) Analysis of RTOG 0214," was
presented at the plenary session at 2:15 p.m. on Monday, November 2, 2009. To
speak to the presenter of the study, Benjamin Movsas, M.D., please call Beth
Bukata or Nicole Napoli November 1-4, 2009, in the ASTRO Press Room at
McCormick Place West at 312-791-7005 or 312-791-7006. You may also e-mail them
at bethb@astro.org or nicolen@astro.org.

SOURCE American Society for Radiation Oncology

Beth Bukata, +1-312-791-7005, +1-312-791-7006, bethb@astro.org or Nicole
Napoli, +1-312-791-7005, +1-312-791-7006, nicolen@astro.org, both of the
American Society for Radiation Oncology