Number of Involved Extracranial Organs Predicts Survival in Patients with Brain Metastasis from Small Cell Lung Cancer

Background/Aim: To investigate the prognostic role of the number of involved extracranial organs in patients with brain metastasis from small-cell lung cancer (SCLC). Patients and Methods: Data of 155 patients receiving whole-brain radiotherapy (WBRT) alone for brain metastasis from SCLC were retrospectively evaluated. In addition to the number of involved extracranial organs, six potential prognostic factors were analyzed including WBRT regimen, age, gender, Karnofsky performance score (KPS), number of brain metastases, and interval from diagnosis of SCLC to WBRT. Results: Six-month survival rates of patients with involvement of 0, 1, 2, and extracranial organs were 52%, 29%, 9%, and 0%, respectively (p<0.001). On multivariate analysis, the number of involved extracranial organs remained significant (p=0.003). Older age (p=0.005), lower KPS (p<0.001), and greater number of brain metastases (p=0.005) were also significantly associated with poorer survival. Conclusion: The number of involved extracranial organs is an independent prognostic factor of survival in SCLC patients with brain metastasis.