Radiotherapy for intracranial metastasis.

Area of Science:

• Neurology
• Oncology
• Radiotherapy

Background:

• Intracranial metastases significantly impact patient functional capacity.
• Radiotherapy is a common treatment modality for brain metastases.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the efficacy of high-energy radiotherapy in improving functional capacity in patients with intracranial metastases.
• To assess the impact of radiotherapy on neurological status and survival rates in patients with brain metastases.

Main Methods:

• A series of 64 patients with intracranial metastases received whole-brain radiotherapy (telecobalt therapy) with doses of 1.5-2 Gy daily to a total of 30-40 Gy.
• Patients were assessed before and after treatment using Order's neurological classification to evaluate changes in intellectual awareness and physical abilities.
• Primary tumor sites included breast (32), lung (24), melanoma (5), bone (1), and unknown (2).

Main Results:

• Overall, 32 patients showed improved functional capacity, 21 remained stable, and 11 experienced worsening neurological status.
• Cerebral metastases originating from melanoma demonstrated radioresistance to the radiotherapy regimen.
• The study observed no significant influence of the radiotherapy treatment on patient survival rates.

Conclusions:

• High-energy radiotherapy can improve functional capacity in a significant portion of patients with intracranial metastases.
• Melanoma brain metastases are less responsive to conventional radiotherapy.
• Radiotherapy for intracranial metastases, in this cohort, did not alter overall survival but improved quality of life for some patients.