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Background: Patients with brain metastases from lung cancer have poor prognoses and short survival time, and they are often excluded from clinical trials. Whole-cranial irradiation is considered to be the standard treatment, but its efficacy is not satisfactory. The purpose of this phase II clinical trial was to evaluate the preliminary efficacy and safety of the treatment of whole-brain irradiation plus three-dimensional conformal boost combined with concurrent topotecan for the patients with brain metastases from lung cancer.Methods: Patients with brain metastasis from lung cancer received concurrent chemotherapy and radiotherapy: conventional fractionated whole-brain irradiation, 2 fields/time, 1 fraction/day, 2 Gy/fraction, 5 times/week, and DT 40 Gy/20 fractions; for the patients with ≤ 3 lesions with diameter ≥ 2 cm, a three-dimensional (3-D) conformal localised boost was given to increase the dosage to 56-60 Gy; and during radiotherapy, concurrent chemotherapy with topotecan was given (the chemoradiotherapy group, CRT). The patients with brain metastasis from lung cancer during the same period who received radiotherapy only were selected as the controls (the radiotherapy-alone group, RT).Results: From March 2009 to March 2012, both 38 patients were enrolled into two groups. The median progression-free survival(PFS) time , the 1- and 2-year PFS rates of CRT group and RT group were 6 months, 42.8%, 21.6% and 3 months, 11.6%, 8.7% (χ2 = 6.02, p = 0.014), respectively. The 1- and 2-year intracranial lesion control rates of CRT and RT were 75.9% , 65.2% and 41.6% , 31.2% (χ2 = 3.892, p = 0.049), respectively. The 1- and 2-year overall survival rates (OS) of CRT and RT were 50.8% , 37.9% and 40.4% , 16.5% (χ2 = 1.811, p = 0.178), respectively. The major side effects were myelosuppression and digestive toxicities, but no differences were observed between the two groups.Conclusion: Compared with radiotherapy alone, whole-brain irradiation plus 3-D conformal boost irradiation and concurrent topotecan chemotherapy significantly improved the PFS rate and the intracranial lesion control rate of patients with brain metastases from lung cancer, and no significant increases in side effects were observed. Based on these results, this treatment method is recommended for phase III clinical trial. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the feasibility and therapeutic effectiveness of ultrasonography (US)-guided percutaneous microwave ablation (PMA) in the treatment of peripheral lung cancer. Methods: From December 2002 to September 2003, 12 Chinese patients with 16 histologically proven lung malignant tumors (6 primary and 10 metastatic) were treated with US-guided PMA. All tumors were located at the peripheral portions of the lung where the tumors were in direct contact with visceral pleura and visualized on US. A total of 21 insertions with 25 applications was administered to the 16 tumors. There was no radiation or chemotherapy combined with PMA. Results: Based on the follow-up period of 6–40 months (average=20 months), seven patients survived without serious complications and five patients died from metastasis after PMA. The size of treated tumors was decreased in all cases (10 tumors with moderate to remarkable area reduction and 6 tumors with mild area reduction). Blood flow in the tumors became either invisible or diminished on color Doppler flow imaging, which showed 9 tumors with no enhancement and 7 tumors with partially decreased enhancement on contrast-enhanced computed tomography after PMA. All patients experienced improvement of clinical symptoms after PMA treatment. Conclusions: Ultrasonography-guided PMA, a mildly invasive procedure, is an effective, safe, and feasible method for treating peripheral lung tumors. Percutaneous microwave ablation provides an alternative therapy for patients with inoperable peripheral lung cancer as well as for patients who refuse radiation or chemotherapy. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]