Trends of Incidence and Survival of Brain Metastases from Lung Cancer

Brain metastases are common complications in patients with advanced lung cancer. However, the incidence and prognosis of brain metastases from lung cancer remained vague and outdated. Hence, we sought to analyze trends in the incidence and prognosis of brain metastases from lung cancer from 2010 to 2021.

The Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program (SEER) registry was queried to identify lung cancer patients with known brain metastases status diagnosed between 2010 and 2021. Age-adjusted incidence and median survival were presented in different demographic groups, and the annual percentage change (APC) was calculated.

The age-adjusted incidence of brain metastases from non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) was 4.60 per 100,000, and was 0.87 per 100,000 from small cell lung cancer (SCLC). The incidence of brain metastases from lung cancer has been decreasing, which was consistent with the declining trend of incidence in primary lung cancer. The proportion of brain metastases was higher in male, younger, and Asian patients with lung cancer. The median survival of brain metastases was 5.0 (4.9-5.1) months in NSCLC and 6.0 (5.8-6.2) months in SCLC. Asian patients with brain metastases from NSCLC exhibited better prognosis (median survival: 11.0 [10.3-11.7] months). The 1-year survival rate for brain metastases in NSCLC patients increased rapidly (APC: 6.47% [5.43%-7.78%]), whereas in SCLC it increased slowly (APC: 1.86% [-1.08% to 5.06%]).

The incidence of brain metastases from lung cancer was decreasing, while the survival time was increasing at different rates.