Clinical observation of radiotherapy combined with temozolomide in non-small cell lung cancer patients with brain metastases

Abstract

Objective To investigate the recent curative effect and adverse reactions of radiotherapy combined with temozolomide in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients with brain metastases. Methods The clinical date of 51 NSCLC patients with brain metastases were retrospective analyzed in Department of Radiation Oncology of Affiliated Hospital of Hebei University. Patients were divided into experimental group (n=26) and control group (n=25) according to the different treatment methods. The experimental group underwent whole brain and local tumor radiotherapy plus temozolomide. The control group only received whole brain and local tumor radiotherapy. The recent curative effect and adverse reactions of the two groups were analyzed. Results The Karnofsky performance status score of patients in the experimental group was obviously improved than that in the control group (76.2±6.4 vs. 72.8±5.3), with a significant difference (t=2.06, P=0.04). The total effective rate in the experimental group was higher than that in the control group (80.8% vs. 64.0%), but there was no statistically significant difference (χ2=1.80, P=0.18). Compared with the control group, the incidences of nausea and vomiting (80.8% vs. 28.0%) and bone marrow suppression (84.6% vs. 24.0%) in the experimental group were significantly higher, with significant differences (χ2=14.33, P=0.00; χ2=18.91, P=0.00). There were similar incidences of headache (69.2% vs. 60.1%), liver and kidney damage (73.1% vs. 64.0%) in the two groups, with no significant differences (χ2=0.47, P=0.49; χ2=0.47, P=0.49). Conclusion Radiotherapy combined with temozolomide can improve the quality of life in NSCLC patients with brain metastases, which has controllable and tolerable adverse reactions. Key words: Carcinoma, non-small-cell lung; Radiotherapy; Neoplasm metastases; Temozolomide