Photo Credit: Naeblys
Many patients with brain metastases and initial neurocognitive failure (NCF) after brain radiation therapy recover, with greater rates of cognitive recovery (CR) for stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS), according to findings presented at the annual meeting of the American Society for Radiation Oncology. Hua Ren Ryan Cherng, MD, and colleagues examined CR following initial NCF in 288 patients treated with SRS and whole brain radiation therapy (WBRT). The pooled cumulative incidence of full CR was 38% and 42% at 6 and 12 months after NCF onset. At the same time points and incidence rates of improvement on any previously failed cognitive test were 73% and 76%. The cumulative incidence of full CR was significantly higher with postoperative SRS versus WBRT and for SRS alone versus SRS plus WBRT (HRs, 2.68 and 2.35). A trend toward a higher incidence of CR was seen for hippocampal-avoidance-WBRT versus WBRT. Compared with WBRT, SRS predicted CR in multivariable analysis (HR, 2.42).
