The application of whole-brain radiotherapy for non-small cell lung cancer with brain metastases: evolution and revolution / 中华放射肿瘤学杂志

ABSTRACT

Whole brain radiotherapy (WBRT) was widely used clinically as the standard therapy for brain metastases (BM). With the development of radiotherapy technology and systemic therapies, the non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients have prolonged local control rate and median survival time, meanwhile post-radiotherapy intracranial toxicities often lead to serious impacts on the quality of life and neurocognitive function. Therefore, the role WBRT played should have been reevaluated. The purpose of this review is to analyze the clinical application value of WBRT in the context of new treatments for NSCLC with BM, and to predict the main developing directions of WBRT in the future.