The Surgical Management of Brain Metastases in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC): Identification of the Early Laboratory and Clinical Determinants of Survival

Background: Brain metastases (BM) indicate advanced states of cancer disease and cranial surgery represents a common treatment modality. In the present study, we aimed to identify the risk factors for a reduced survival in patients receiving a surgical treatment of BM derived from non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Methods: A total of 154 patients with NSCLC that had been surgically treated for BM at the authors’ institution between 2013 and 2018 were included for a further analysis. A multivariate analysis was performed to identify the predictors of a poor overall survival (OS). Results: The median overall survival (mOS) was 11 months (95% CI 8.2–13.8). An age > 65 years, the infratentorial location of BM, elevated preoperative C-reactive protein levels, a perioperative red blood cell transfusion, postoperative prolonged mechanical ventilation (>48 h) and the occurrence of postoperative adverse events were identified as independent factors of a poor OS. Conclusions: The present study identified several predictors for a worsened OS in patients that underwent surgery for BM of NSCLC. These findings might guide a better risk/benefit assessment in the course of metastatic NSCLC therapy and might help to more sufficiently cope with the challenges of cancer therapy in these advanced stages of disease.