Brain radiotherapy has few benefits for patients with non-small cell lung cancer which has spread to the head, according to a major study reported today.
Researchers said the findings suggest that patients should be spared the ordeal of radiotherapy to the brain.
The study of 538 patients found no clear improvements in survival or quality of life for patients who received the treatment.
However, the study found that patients who receive the treatment lived on average five days longer than others and reported five extra days of good quality life.
The findings are reported in The Lancet and are also being reported to the conference of the European Respiratory Society in London, UK. The study took place in the UK and Australia and involved a randomised trial of the treatment.
Researcher Dr Paula Mulvenna, from Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK, said: “This trial is changing treatment for patients. Before the QUARTZ trial clinicians weren’t certain that giving whole brain radiotherapy enhanced our patients’ quality of life, but did frequently offer it in good faith.
"These results confirm we can safely omit this treatment and concentrate on other ways of ensuring our patients and their families receive the best end of life care."
Fellow researcher Professor Ruth Langley, from University College, London, UK, said: "In the future, potential new treatments (whether using drugs or stereotactic radiotherapy techniques) should be assessed in addition to best supportive care rather than in addition to, or in place of, whole brain radiotherapy.”
Mulvenna et al. Can whole brain radiotherapy be omitted from the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer patients with brain metastases not amenable to stereotactic radiotherapy or surgery? Results from the UK Medical Research Council QUARTZ randomised clinical trial. Lancet 5 September 2016 [abstract]
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