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PET and MRI Guided Irradiation of a Glioblastoma Rat Model Using a Micro-irradiator
Published on: December 28, 2017
Predicting Survival After Irradiation for Brain Metastases from Head and Neck Cancer
Dirk Rades1, Liesa Dziggel2, Samer G Hakim3
1Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany Rades.Dirk@gmx.net.
Aim:
Patients with cerebral metastases from head and neck cancer are not common. This study aimed to create an instrument for estimating survival in this particular group of patients.
Patients And Methods:
Survival was significantly influenced by Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance score, number of cerebral lesions and extracranial metastatic disease. These characteristics were included in our score.
Results:
Scoring was based on 6-month survival data: ECOG 0-1=1 point, ECOG 2-3=0 points, 1-3 cerebral lesions=1 point, ≥4 cerebral lesions=0 points, lack of extracranial metastases=1 point, and presence of extracranial metastases=0 points. Addition of these points for each patient resulted in 0-3 points. Three groups were built comprising 0-1, 2 and 3 points. Six-month survival rates for these groups were 0%, 50% and 100%, respectively.
Conclusion:
This new instrument guides physicians in choosing optimal irradiation programs for patients with cerebral metastases from head-and-neck cancer.
