Quality of life and efficacy of temozolomide combined with whole-brain radiotherapy in patients with brain metastases from non-small-cell lung cancer

Abstract

The aim of the present study was to investigate the efficacy and life quality of temozolomide (TMZ) combined with whole‐brain radiotherapy (WBRT) for patients with brain metastases (BM) from non‐small‐cell lung cancer (NSCLC). A total of 77 cases of patients with lung cancer and BM were selected and divided into two groups; the first group was administered WBRT with TMZ, and the second group was administered WBRT with placebo. The efficacy, overall survival (OS) and quality of life (QoL) were then compared between the two groups. There were no significant differences in toxicity between the two groups. However, the first group exhibited an advantage over the second group in terms of objective response and OS (P<0.5). Therefore, WBRT may improve the QoL of patients with BM. TMZ concomitantly with WBRT was well‐tolerated and may be recommended for the treatment of BM from NSCLC.