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Whole brain radiation found not to be beneficial for brain cancer patients

Cancer study could change radiation treatment for hundreds of thousands, Guardian, 1 June 15 
Treating whole brain with radiation found to harm cognitive skills without improving survival, study finds – meaning many could be spared such care A major study could change care for many of the hundreds of thousands of people each year who have cancer that spreads to the brain from other sites, study leaders said on Sunday.

The study, one of three discussed at an American Society of Clinical Oncology conference in Chicago, found that contrary to conventional wisdom, radiation therapy to the whole brain did not improve survival, and harmed memory, speech and thinking skills.

“This is the classic question: Which is worse, the disease or the treatment?” said one study leader, Dr Jan Buckner of the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. Radiation helped control the cancer, Dr Buckner said, “but at the cost of cognitive decline”.

For patients, the study is not necessarily the bad news it may seem. It shows that in this case, quality of life is better with less treatment, and many people can be spared the expense and side effects of futile care………

The first study affects the most patients by far. An estimated 400,000 patients in the US alone each year have cancer that spreads to the brain, usually from the lungs, breast or other sites.

That is different from tumors that start in the brain, like the one that on Saturday claimed the life of Joseph “Beau” Biden, the son of vice-president Joe Biden.

Cancer that spreads to the brain is usually treated with radiosurgery – highly focused radiation with a tool such as the Gamma Knife, followed by less intense radiation to the whole brain. The latter treatment can cause hair loss, dry mouth, fatigue and thinking problems……

Dr Paul Brown of the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer in Houston led a study of 213 patients with one to three tumors in the brain to see whether the risks of whole brain radiation were worth its help in controlling cancer.

Half of the patients had the usual radiosurgery and the rest had that followed by whole brain radiation. Three months later, 92% of patients who got both treatments had cognitive decline versus 64% of those given just radiosurgery.

“The negative effects far outweigh any benefits” of the combination treatment, Brown said……..http://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/may/31/cancer-patients-spared-brain-radiation-study

June 4, 2015 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | health, USA