Brain Radiation Treatment Boosts Lung Cancer Survival

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Slotman said the message from the study is clear: "Prophylactic cranial radiation should now be offered routinely to all responding small-cell lung cancer patients with extensive disease."

However, current recommendations suggest the use of cranial radiation only if a lung cancer appears to have disappeared completely with the combination of chemotherapy and radiation therapy to the chest.

But that recommendation remains controversial, said Dr. Andrew Turrisi, professor of radiation oncology at Wayne State University, Detroit. The controversy centers on "not whether there should be [such] treatment, but how much and how long," he said.

Experts fear that cranial irradiation might cause brain damage, and a trial to determine the therapy that prolongs survival without causing such damage is having trouble enrolling patients because of those fears, Turrisi said.

But the results of the new trial provide "astounding information," he said, showing benefits with no visible damage. "But it still doesn't answer the major question: Is it safe for the long term?" Turrisi said.

Still, he applauded the Dutch team for the study. "I don't see any Achilles' heel in the work they have done," Turrisi said.

More information

There's more on lung cancer at the National Cancer Institute.