[The safety and efficacy of anlotinib in combination with stereotactic radiotherapy for the treatment of brain metastases from non-small cell lung cancer].

Abstract

Objective: To investigate the efficacy and safety of anti-vascular drug anlotinib in combination with stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) for the treatment of brain metastases from non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Methods: A total of 46 patients diagnosed with NSCLC brain metastases and treated with SRS in Peking University Third Hospital were included from October 2017 to June 2019. Of these, 21 patients (33 lesions) received anlotinib combined with SRS (combined treatment group), while 25 patients (35 lesions) only received SRS (SRS-alone group). The data of combined treatment group and SRS-alone group were compared, including remission rate of intracranial hypertension, response rate (RR) of local control of intracranial lesions, incidence of radiation-induced brain necrosis and intracranial progression-free survival (iPFS). The medication and adverse reactions of anlotinib in the combined treatment group were recorded. Results: The remission rate of intracranial hypertension in the combined treatment group was 71.4% (15/21), which was significantly higher than that in the SRS-alone group [12.0% (3/25), P<0.001). However, the RR of combined treatment group and SRS-alone group was 80.9% (17/21) and 60.0% (15/25), respectively, with no statistically significant difference (P=0.289). The incidence of radiation-induced brain necrosis in the combined treatment group was 3.0% (1/33), which was significantly lower than that in the SRS-alone group [20.0% (7/35), P=0.030]. The iPFS of the combination treatment group was (13.9±2.4) months, which was significantly longer than that in the SRS-alone group [(11.4±1.8) months, P<0.001]. The medication time of anlotinib in the combined treatment group was 6 (6, 18) weeks. One patient developed grade Ⅰ hypertension and one patient developed grade Ⅰ hand-foot syndrome. The incidence of drug-related adverse reactions was 9.5% (2/21). Conclusions: Anlotinib in combination with SRS may relieve brain edema, reduce the rate of radiation-induced brain necrosis, and the rate of drug-related adverse reactions were low.