Comparison of clinical outcomes of surgery followed by local brain radiotherapy and surgery followed by whole brain radiotherapy in patients with single brain metastasis: single-center retrospective analysis

Purpose Data comparing the clinical outcomes of local brain radiotherapy (LBRT) and whole brain RT (WBRT) in patients with a single brain metastasis after tumor removal are limited. Patients and Methods A retrospective analysis was performed to compare the patterns of treatment failure, cause of death, progression-free survival, median survival time, and Karnofsky performance status for long-term survivors among patients who underwent surgery followed by either LBRT or WBRT between 1990 and 2008 at the National Cancer Center Hospital. Results A total of 130 consecutive patients were identified. The median progression-free survival period among the patients who received postoperative LBRT ( n = 64) and WBRT ( n = 66) was 9.7 and 11.5 months, respectively ( p = .75). The local recurrence rates (LBRT, 9.4% vs. WBRT, 12.1%) and intracranial new metastasis rate (LBRT, 42.2% vs. WBRT, 33.3%) were similar in each arm. The incidence of leptomeningeal metastasis was also equivalent (LBRT, 9.4% vs. WBRT, 10.6%). The median survival time for the LBRT and WBRT patients was 13.9 and 16.7 months, respectively ( p = .88). A neurologic cause of death was noted in 35.6% of the patients in the LBRT group and 36.7% of the WBRT group ( p = .99). The Karnofsky performance status at 2 years was comparable between the two groups. Conclusions The clinical outcomes of LBRT and WBRT were similar. A prospective evaluation is warranted.