Factors Affecting 2-Year Survival in Patients With Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Brain Metastases: Evidence from Indonesia's National Cancer Center, Jakarta, Indonesia.

BACKGROUND

Brain metastases are a common complication in a wide range of cancers but are ubiquitous among patients with lung cancer. Limited data are available on the survival of patients with lung cancer and brain metastases in Indonesia. In this study, we aimed to identify the factors that might contribute to and predict survival in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) that resulted in brain metastases.

METHODS

This retrospective study on patients with NSCLC and brain metastases was conducted using data available from the medical records of the Dharmais National Cancer Hospital, Jakarta, Indonesia. The study outcome was survival time, which was associated with sex, age, smoking status, body mass index, number of brain metastases, tumor location, systemic therapy, and other therapies. Descriptive statistics, median survival, Kaplan-Meier graphs, and Cox regression were analyzed using SPSS version 27.

RESULTS

We included 111 patients with NSCLC and brain metastases in this study. The median patient age was 58 years. Long survivorship was observed among women (median: 95.4 weeks;  < .0003), patients with epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations (median: 41.8 weeks;  < .0492), those who received chemotherapy (median: 58 weeks;  < .000), and those who received a combination of surgery and whole brain radiotherapy (WBRT; median: 64.7 weeks;  = .0174). Multivariate analysis showed consistent results for the following factors: sex, EGFR mutations, systemic therapy, and surgery plus WBRT.

CONCLUSIONS

Female sex and EGFR mutations in patients with NSCLC and brain metastases are associated with a high survival rate. Patients who have NSCLC with brain metastases will benefit from treatment with EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors, chemotherapy, and surgery plus WBRT.