Risk factors for brain metastasis in small-cell lung cancer after surgery

Objective To evaluate clinical risk factors that can predict brain metastasis after complete resection of small cell lung cancer (SCLC) and to assess the role of prophylactic cranial irradiation (PCI) in such kind of patients.Methods Eighty-eight patients with completely resected stage Ⅰ - Ⅲ SCLC from Jan.2000 to Dec.2009 in our hospital were retrospectively analyzed.Kaplan-Meier was used to compare the differences in the incidence of metastasis free survival in different groups.Logistic model was used to assess the independent risk factors for brain metastasis.Results The follow-up rate is 100％,and 37 patients were followed up for more than three years.None of the 3 patients who received PCI developed brain metastasis,while for patients without receiving PCI,24％ developed brain metastases.The incidence of brain metastasis for stage Ⅰ,Ⅱ and Ⅲ SCLC after surgery were 4％,26％ and 29％ ( x2 =7.57,P =0.023),respectively.The median survival time and the 3-year survival rate were 18 months and 25％ for patients who developed brain metastasis,and 48 months and 59％ for those without brain metastasis ( x2 =10.63,P =0.001 ).Both univariate and multivariate analyses showed that pre-treatment disease stage wasindependent risk factor for brain metastasis ( x2 =7.57,8.52 ; P =0.023,0.004 ).Age,sex,tumor location,pathological type,induction chemotherapy,and postoperative chemotherapy/radiotherapy were not significantly correlated with the incidence of brain metastasis ( x2 =0.03,0.00,0.00,2.58,0.01,1.23,0.84;P =0.869,0.998,0.992,0.109,0.936,0.266,0.361,respectively).Conclusions Pre-treatment disease stage was independent risk factor for brain metastasis in SCLC.PCI may be important for stage Ⅱ -Ⅲ SCLC but not for stage Ⅰ disease. =Carcinoma,small cell lung/surgery; Neoplasm metastasis,brain/prophylactic irradiation; Factors analysis