↓ Skip to main content

Cranial irradiation for preventing brain metastases of small cell lung cancer in patients in complete remission

Overview of attention for article published in Cochrane database of systematic reviews, October 2000
Altmetric Badge

Citations

dimensions_citation
34 Dimensions

Readers on

mendeley
26 Mendeley
You are seeing a free-to-access but limited selection of the activity Altmetric has collected about this research output. Click here to find out more.
Title
Cranial irradiation for preventing brain metastases of small cell lung cancer in patients in complete remission
Published in
Cochrane database of systematic reviews, October 2000
DOI 10.1002/14651858.cd002805
Pubmed ID
Authors

The Prophylactic Cranial Irradiation Overview Collaborative Group

Abstract

Prophylactic cranial irradiation halves the rate of brain metastases in patients with small cell lung cancer. Individual randomized trials conducted on patients in complete remission were unable to clarify whether this treatment improves survival. This study aims to test whether prophylactic cranial irradiation prolongs survival of patients with small cell lung cancer in complete remission. Published and unpublished trials were eligible. Electronic databases, reference lists of trial publications, review articles and relevant books were used to identify potentially eligible trials. The search was also guided by discussions with investigators and experts, and the examination of meeting proceedings and of the Physician Data Query clinical trial registry. Randomized trials comparing prophylactic cranial irradiation with no prophylactic cranial irradiation in patients with small cell lung cancer in complete remission. Meta-analysis based on updated individual data. The main endpoint was survival. The relative risk of death in the treatment group compared to the control group was 0.84 (95% confidence interval=0.73 to 0.97, P=0.01), corresponding to a 5.4 percent increase in the 3-year survival rate (from 15.3 percent in the control group to 20.7 percent in the treatment group). Prophylactic cranial irradiation also increased disease-free survival (relative risk=0.75, 95% confidence interval=0.65 to 0.86, P<0.001) and decreased the risk of brain metastases (relative risk=0.46, 95% confidence interval=0.38 to 0.57, P<0.001). Increasing doses of irradiation decreased the risk of brain metastases when four groups (8 Gy, 24-25 Gy, 30 Gy, 36-40 Gy) were analyzed [trend test, P=0.02], but the effect on survival did not differ significantly according to the dose. We found a trend (P=0.01) for a decrease in the brain metastasis risk in favour of earlier administration of cranial irradiation after the initiation of induction treatment. Prophylactic cranial irradiation significantly improves survival and disease-free survival for patients with small cell lung cancer in complete remission. Further clinical trials are needed to confirm the potential greater benefit on brain metastasis rate suggested when cranial irradiation is given earlier or at higher doses.

Mendeley readers

Mendeley readers

The data shown below were compiled from readership statistics for 26 Mendeley readers of this research output. Click here to see the associated Mendeley record.

Geographical breakdown

Country Count As %
France 1 4%
Unknown 25 96%

Demographic breakdown

Readers by professional status Count As %
Student > Ph. D. Student 6 23%
Student > Master 5 19%
Other 4 15%
Researcher 4 15%
Student > Postgraduate 2 8%
Other 3 12%
Unknown 2 8%
Readers by discipline Count As %
Medicine and Dentistry 18 69%
Agricultural and Biological Sciences 3 12%
Psychology 1 4%
Computer Science 1 4%
Unknown 3 12%