The peculiarities of radiation therapy in patients with brain metastases
Relevance: Brain metastases are the most common intracranial tumor lesions in cancer patients. The introduction of new programs of antitumor treatment utilizing modern antitumor drugs and innovative methods of radiation therapy (RT) will significantly increase the survival of cancer patients. Effective treatment and local follow-up of brain metastases are essential for predicting the overall survival and quality of life (QOL) of the patients. The purpose of this study was the optimization of RT methods to prevent the death of patients from an intracranial progression of the disease, reduce or prevent neurological symptoms while preserving the patient QOL as long as possible. Results: Subjective effect after radiation therapy was assessed in 20 patients within 30 days after the end of the course. The assessed parameters included “the reduction of neurological symptoms", “the reduction of headache". The relatives of 2 patients were discharged from the hospital following their refusal of special treatment with the total boost dose of 15 Gy by Krasnovsky scale. Conclusion: The use of hyper-fractionated RT in multiple brain metastases allowed eliminating the neurological symptoms and led to a 9-month life extension and improved QOL.