Short-term effectiveness of whole brain radiotherapy combined with anlotinib in the treatment of brain metastasis in lung cancer patients with refractory peritumoral edema

Objective To observe the effectiveness and safety of whole brain radiotherapy combined with anlotinib in the treatment of brain metastasis in lung cancer patients with refractory peritumoral edema. Methods A total of 11 lung cancer patients with brain metastasis who were treated in Department of Radiotherapy, the Affiliated Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University from 2019 to 2020 were enrolled and their clinical data were retrospectively analyzed. During whole brain radiotherapy, anlotinib was orally administered at a dose of 10-12 mg/d for consecutive 14 days. Their tumor volume, cerebral edema volume, edema index,Karnofsky performance scale (KPS) score, symptoms and signs were evaluated before and after treatment. Adverse reactions during treatment were also recorded. Results After treatment, the tumor volume, cerebral edema volume, edema index and KPS score were significantly improved (P＜0.05). Their overall quality of life was improved, and adverse reactions were tolerable. Conclusions Preliminary observation indicates that whole brain radiotherapy combined with anlotinib can effectively reduce peritumoral edema, control brain metastasis, and improve clinical symptoms and quality of life, with good safety.