The results of whole-brain radiotherapy for elderly patients with brain metastases from urinary bladder cancer

Background/Aim: The number of elderly patients with cancer is growing and requires particular attention. These patients may benefit from personalized treatments. This study aimed to identify prognostic factors of survival for elderly patients (≥65 years) irradiated for brain metastases from urinary bladder cancer. Patients and Methods: In 29 elderly patients treated with whole-brain radiotherapy (WBRT), seven factors were retrospectively analyzed regarding survival, namely dose-fractionation regimen, age, gender, Karnofsky performance score, number of brain metastases, extra-cranial metastases, and interval between cancer diagnosis and WBRT. Results: For the whole series, survival was 38% at 3 months and 21% at 6 months. Karnofsky performance score ≥70% showed a trend for being associated with improved survival when compared to ≤60%; survival rates were 50% vs. 29% at 3 months and 33% vs. 12% at 6 months (p=0.18). Conclusion: Karnofsky performance score may help estimate the survival of elderly patients irradiated for brain metastases from urinary bladder cancer.