When is radiation to the brain also given for lung cancer?
Radiation directed to the whole brain to prevent brain metastasis is typically given for patients with SCLC whose disease has responded to initial therapy. The brain is a common site of tumor spread (termed metastasis) in people with SCLC. Having radiation treatment of the brain after chemotherapy and before evidence of metastases develops, substantially reduces the chances of ever developing brain metastases and prolongs survival. This type of radiation therapy is called prophylactic cranial irradiation, or PCI. PCI has been so successful in SCLC patients that research trials are now underway to see if similar benefits can be seen in patients with NSCLC, too. In patients who have spread of lung cancer to the brain at diagnosis or down the road, radiation therapy to the brain is often recommended to control symptoms and shrink those tumor deposits. Standard radiation machines can bathe the whole brain with radiation treatment, and some of our special machines (Gamma Knife, Cyberknife,
Radiation directed to the whole brain to prevent brain metastasis is typically given for patients with SCLC whose disease has responded to initial therapy. The brain is a common site of tumor spread (termed metastasis) in people with SCLC. Having radiation treatment of the brain after chemotherapy and before evidence of metastases develops, substantially reduces the chances of ever developing brain metastases and prolongs survival. This type of radiation therapy is called prophylactic cranial irradiation, or PCI. PCI has been so successful in SCLC patients that research trials are now underway to see if similar benefits can be seen in patients with NSCLC, too. In patients who have spread of lung cancer to the brain at diagnosis or down the road, radiation therapy to the brain is often recommended to control symptoms and shrink those tumor deposits. Standard radiation machines can bathe the whole brain with radiation treatment, and the specialized Gamma Knife machine at our North Oaks C
