MRI in detection of brain metastases at initial staging of small-cell lung cancer.

We prospectively investigated 40 patients with small-cell carcinoma of the lung (SCLC) for signs of brain metastasis by neurological examination and MRI of the brain, to determine the significance of MRI for staging. MRI could not be completed in one patient, who was excluded from the study. The MRI studies of the remaining patients showed no abnormalities in 12, cerebral infarcts in 2 and brain metastases in 11 patients, of whom 3 no relevant symptoms. Nonenhancing white matter lesions were found in 14 patients. In 3 of the 4 patients with an abnormal neurological examination at diagnosis, nonenhancing white matter lesions later developed into contrast enhancing lesions compatible with brain metastases; in 2, this occurred during the course of the chemotherapy. MRI did not change the clinical staging in patients with asymptomatic brain metastases.

Neurologic disorders in 203 consecutive patients with small cell lung cancer. Results of a longitudinal study.

BACKGROUND: Neurologic complications of small cell lung cancer (SCLC) are manifold. The incidence and course of the various metastatic and nonmetastatic neurologic disorders were studied prospectively in a cohort of SCLC patients. METHODS: The 203 patients underwent neurologic examinations on a regular basis, prior to therapy, during and after treatment, from 1983 through 1994. Routine computer tomography or magnetic resonance imaging of the brain was performed before therapy and after 2 years' survival. Other auxiliary diagnostic tests were performed as required. RESULTS: The majority of the 174 neurologic disorders, diagnosed in 132 patients, were associated with metastases. A total of 79 patients developed brain metastases. The cumulative risk of brain metastases reached 47% for limited and 69% for extensive disease patients at 2 years from diagnosis. Survival following the diagnosis of brain metastases was significantly longer for patients with brain metastases at the initial diagnosis of SCLC than for patients with delayed brain metastases (P < 0.01, long rank test). The most frequent paraneoplastic syndrome with neurologic symptoms was that of inappropriate secretion of antidiuretic hormone (SIADH), which was diagnosed in 11 patients. Antibody-mediated paraneoplastic neurologic syndromes were diagnosed in five patients. Chemotherapy for SCLC caused SIADH to subside in most patients. In contrast, the antibody-mediated syndromes did not respond to SCLC therapy. Adverse effects of treatment included peripheral neuropathy, encephalopathy, radiation plexopathy, and steroid myopathy. However, unlike the other complications, peripheral neuropathy was reversible. CONCLUSIONS: This clinical investigation confirmed the frequency of central nervous system metastatic involvement as well as the diversity of the neurologic complications in SCLC. The high frequency of brain metastases justifies a reappraisal of prophylactic cranial irradiation in this patient group.

Sequelae in long-term survivors of small cell lung cancer.

PURPOSE: Central nervous system (CNS) effects of chemotherapy and prophylactic cranial irradiation (PCI) are studied in long-term small cell lung cancer (SCLC) survivors. The exact significance and pathogenesis of the neurotoxicity is still unknown, as studies on this subject lack sufficient patient numbers and are performed in an extremely varied manner. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Fifty-nine survivors (> 2 years from diagnosis) were examined neurologically and neuropsychologically, and underwent a cranial computer tomography (CT) scan or magnetic resonance (MR). Eight patients were excluded from further analysis for various reasons (not SCLC-related CNS disease, n = 6; no chemotherapy nor PCI treatment, n = 2). The remaining 51 patients were divided into three groups; group 1 = chemotherapy alone (n = 21), group 2 = sequential PCI (n = 19), and group 3 = concurrent or sandwiched PCI (n = 11). Groups were neuropsychologically compared in matched controls. RESULTS: Performance status did not differ significantly between various treatment groups; all patients remained ambulatory and capable of self-care. Mental impairment (n = 20), motor abnormalities (n = 9), and visual complaints (n = 1), were found in five patients in group 1 (24%), eight patients in group 2 (42%), and eight patients in group 3 (73%). Analysis of brain atrophy revealed no significant results; however, white matter abnormalities were found more frequently in group 3. Neuropsychologically no significant group differences existed, although interference sensitivity and difficulties with divided attention tended to occur more frequently in patients treated with PCI. Mean neuropsychometric results of treatment groups were significantly worse than those of matched controls. CONCLUSIONS: Although more intensively treated patients showed more neurologic impairment and patients in group 3 had more white matter abnormalities, there was no statistic evidence for additional neurotoxicity of PCI. Marked neuropsychometric differences between patients and matched controls may indicate that cognitive impairment is partly disease related, probably due to emotional distress and deteriorated physical condition.

Follow-up of cognitive functioning in patients with small cell lung cancer.

PURPOSE: Study of the course of possible treatment-related cognitive impairment in patients with small cell lung cancer. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Thirty-two consecutive patients with small cell lung cancer underwent successive neurologic and neuropsychologic examinations until 5 months after prophylactic cranial irradiation, and in their pretherapeutic condition were compared to matched controls. Patients with brain metastases were excluded from this study. RESULTS: Neurologic examination revealed central nervous system (CNS) abnormalities only in the 14 patients with brain metastases. In the remaining patients, neuropsychologic tests showed clear differences between the pretherapeutic performance of patients and that of matched controls (p < 0.001), but no significant deterioration either during or after therapy (0.1 < p < 0.8). CONCLUSION: The difference between the pretherapeutic performance of patients and that of matched controls may indicate disease-related cognitive impairment. Within the observation period, no adverse effects of the used therapy were found. Our observations underline the importance of a pretherapeutic assessment in neurotoxicity research.

Diagnostic value of CT in the detection of brain metastasis in small cell lung cancer patients.

Fifty-seven patients with histologically proven small cell lung carcinoma were prospectively evaluated for signs of brain metastasis by neurological examination and computerized tomographic (CT) brain scanning. The reliability of demonstrating brain metastases by means of neurological examination was compared with that of CT. Three (5%) patients, two with cerebrovascular infarcts and one with leptomeningeal metastases, were excluded from the study. Four (7%) patients, all with extensive disease, showed neurological symptoms and signs of brain metastases, which were confirmed in three cases by brain CT. The fourth patient had neurological symptoms and signs pointing to cerebral metastasis, but no sign of this was detected on CT at the time of diagnosis. However, six months later, after completion of chemotherapy, CT revealed signs of brain metastasis. The other fifty neurologically asymptomatic patients had no brain metastases on CT. This clinical study suggests that routine CT of the brain is not useful in neurologically asymptomatic patients with small cell lung carcinoma.