Leptomeningeal Metastases More Common in Patients With EGFR Mutations

Leptomeningeal metastases occur more frequently in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with EGFR mutations, according to a study published in the Journal of Thoracic Oncology.¹

Data on prognostic factors and outcomes for leptomeningeal metastases with EGFR mutations are lacking; researchers evaluated treatments and clinical outcomes of patients with NSCLC and leptomeningeal metastases.

Investigators analyzed data from 5387 patients treated at a single institution. Of those, 3.4% were diagnosed with leptomeningeal metastases.

Patients harboring EGFR mutations were more likely to have leptomeningeal metastases compared with those with wild-type EGFR (9.4% versus 1.7%; P < .001).

The median overall survival after leptomeningeal metastases was 8.7 months (95% CI, 7.3-10.1)

Among the 109 patients with common EGFR mutations and leptomeningeal metastases, the 88 patients who received kinase inhibitor therapy derived a greater overall survival benefit than others (10.0 months versus 3.3 months (P < .001), though active treatment with whole brain radiotherapy did not prolong overall survival of patients with EGFR-mutant disease.

Kinase inhibitor therapy predicted improved survival (P < .001), while ECOG performance status predicted for poor survival (P < .001).                          

Reference

1. Li Y-S, Jiang B-Y, Yang J-J, et al. Leptomeningeal metastases in non-small cell lung cancer patients with EGFR mutations. J Thorac Oncol. 2016 Aug 14. doi: 10.1016/j.jtho.2016.06.029 [Epub ahead of print]