Radiosurgery linked to longer survival for small cell lung cancer with brain metastases

AI Summary

A randomized Phase III trial found that patients with small cell lung cancer that had spread to the brain lived a median of 17 months after stereotactic radiosurgery, compared with nine months after whole-brain radiation therapy. The survival difference was an unexpected secondary finding.

Patients with small cell lung cancer (SCLC) that had spread to the brain lived a median of 17 months after focused stereotactic radiosurgery, compared with nine months after an advanced form of whole-brain radiation therapy, an unexpected secondary finding from the first randomized Phase III trial to compare the treatment approaches in this population.