Maxwell S. Laurans’s research while affiliated with Yale University and other places

OBJECTIVE The JLGK0901 study found that stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) is a safe and effective treatment option for treating up to 10 brain metastases. The purpose of this study is to determine the cost-effectiveness of treating up to 10 brain metastases with SRS, whole-brain radiation therapy (WBRT), or SRS and immediate WBRT (SRS+WBRT). METHODS A Markov model was developed to evaluate the cost effectiveness of SRS, WBRT, and SRS+WBRT in patients with 1 or 2–10 brain metastases. Transition probabilities were derived from the JLGK0901 study and modified according to the recurrence rates observed in the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG) 9508 and European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) 22952–26001 studies to simulate the outcomes for patients who receive WBRT. Costs are based on 2015 Medicare reimbursements. Health state utilities were prospectively collected using the Standard Gamble method. End points included cost, quality-adjusted life years (QALYs), and incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs). The willingness-to-pay (WTP) threshold was $100,000 per QALY. One-way and probabilistic sensitivity analyses explored uncertainty with regard to the model assumptions. RESULTS In patients with 1 brain metastasis, the ICERs for SRS versus WBRT, SRS versus SRS+WBRT, and SRS+WBRT versus WBRT were$117,418, $51,348, and$746,997 per QALY gained, respectively. In patients with 2–10 brain metastases, the ICERs were 123,256, 58,903, and $821,042 per QALY gained, respectively. On the sensitivity analyses, the model was sensitive to the cost of SRS and the utilities associated with stable post-SRS and post-WBRT states. In patients with 2–10 brain metastases, SRS versus WBRT becomes cost-effective if the cost of SRS is reduced by$3512. SRS versus WBRT was also cost effective at a WTP of $200,000 per QALY on the probabilistic sensitivity analysis. CONCLUSIONS The most cost-effective strategy for patients with up to 10 brain metastases is SRS alone relative to SRS+WBRT. SRS alone may also be cost-effective relative to WBRT alone, but this depends on WTP, the cost of SRS, and patient preferences.

Objectives: Stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) is an emerging technique for maximizing tumor and pain control in selected patients with spinal metastases. Outcomes for those with concurrent brain metastases (CBM) have not been well-described previously. The goal of this study was to compare outcomes for patients with or without CBM treated with spine SBRT. Methods: Records of all patients treated with SBRT for spine metastases at our institution from January 2008 to January 2014 were reviewed. Chi-square analyses and the Mann-Whitney test were used to assess the association of CBM (defined as brain metastasis present prior to or at the time of spinal SBRT) with potential covariates. The log-rank test and Cox proportional hazards regression were used to evaluate the impact of CBM on overall survival and local control from the time of the first course of spine SBRT. Results: Seventy-eight patients and a total of 86 SBRT lesions were treated. Median patient age was 60 years (range: 38-84 years); 28.2% had radioresistant histologies. A single fraction was used in 91.0% of treatments. One-year local control was 89.4%, and one-year overall survival was 45.8%. A total of 19 patients (24.4%) had CBM. Among these CBM patients, 18 (94.7%) underwent intracranial radiosurgery and nine (47.4%) were diagnosed synchronously with their spine metastases. Local control was not significantly different between patients with or without CBM on univariable (median: 58 months vs. not reached, p = 0.53) or multivariable analyses (HR 0.52, 95% CI 0.06-4.33). Overall survival was also not significantly different between patients with or without CBM on univariable (median: 7 vs. 11 months, log-rank p = 0.12) or multivariable analyses (HR 1.62, 95% CI 0.87-3.03). Conclusions: Patients with CBM do not appear to have a statistically significant detriment in clinical outcomes, suggesting that CBM should not necessarily be considered a contraindication for spine SBRT. Although our study is limited by significant heterogeneity in tumor type within our series, future work should focus on the development of reliable survival prognosticators for patients undergoing spinal radiosurgery. Nearly half of the patients with CBM were diagnosed synchronously with their spine metastases, emphasizing the usefulness of obtaining a brain MRI for complete staging prior to spine SBRT.

Stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) is as an effective method to treat spinal metastases. Imaging is a critical component in the workup of patients who undergo stereotactic radiation treatment. Computed tomographic myelography may be more accurate than magnetic resonance imaging in the delineation of neural elements during SBRT. The task we faced was to offer a standardized method to rapidly and safely obtain high-quality computed tomographic myelography as part of a robust spine SBRT program. In detailing our experience, we support the greater, active participation of radiologists in the multidisciplinary care of patients with spinal metastases, while encouraging other radiologists to foster similar collaborations at their own institutions.