umin.ac.jp/ctr Identifier: C000000412.

PURPOSEIt is not well known how the omission of whole-brain radiotherapy (WBRT) affects the neurocognitive function of patients with 1-4 brain metastases who are treated with stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS). MATERIALS AND METHODSIn a prospective randomized trial between WBRT+SRS and SRS-alone in patients with 1-4 brain metastases, neurocognitive function was assessed by the Mini-Mental Score Examination (MMSE). Among 132 enrolled patients, MMSE scores were available for 110 patients. RESULTSIn the baseline MMSE analyses, statistically significant differences were observed for total tumor volume, extent of tumor edema, age, and KPS. Among 92 patients who received follow-up MMSE, 39 patients had a baseline MMSE of 27 or lower (17 in the WBRT+SRS group, 22 in the SRS-alone group).Improvements of >=3 points in the MMSEs of 9 WBRT+SRS patients and 11 SRS-alone patients (P=0.85) were observed. Among 82 patients who had baseline MMSEs >=27 or whose baseline MMSEs were <=26 but improved to >=27 after the initial brain treatment, the 12-, 24-, and 36-month actuarial free Aoyama H et al. 4 rates of the 3-point drop in MMSE were 76.1%, 68.5%, and 14.7% in the WBRT+SRS group, and were 59.3%, 51.9%, and 51.9% in the SRS-alone group.The average duration until deterioration was 16.5 months in WBRT+SRS and 7.6 months in SRS-alone patients (P=0.05). CONCLUSIONSThe current study revealed that, for the majority of brain metastatic patients, control of the brain tumor is the most important factor for stabilizing neurocognitive function. However, the long-term adverse effect of WBRT on neurocognitive function may not be negligible.

No abstract

No abstract

Bevacizumab is effective in treating radiation necrosis; however, radiation necrosis was not definitively diagnosed in most previous reports. Here we used amino acid positron emission tomography to diagnose radiation necrosis for the application of bevacizumab in treating progressive radiation necrosis. Lesion/normal tissue ratios of ,2.5 on 18 fluoride-labeled boronophenylalanine-positron emission tomography were defined as an indication of effective bevacizumab treatment. Thirteen patients were treated with bevacizumab at a dose of 5 mg/ kg every 2 weeks. Two patients were excluded because of adverse events. The median reduction rate in perilesional edema was 65.5%. Karnofsky performance status improved in six patients after bevacizumab treatment. Lesion/normal tissue ratios on 18 fluoride-labeled boronophenylalanine-positron emission tomography (P ¼ 0.0084) and improvement in Karnofsky performance status after bevacizumab treatment (P ¼ 0.0228) were significantly associated with reduced rates of perilesional edema. Thus, 18 fluoride-labeled boronophenylalanine-positron emission tomography could be useful for diagnosing radiation necrosis and predicting the efficacy of bevacizumab in progressive radiation necrosis.