Craniospinal irradiation for leptomeningeal metastasis of solid tumors: survival analysis and prognostic factors.

Abstract

We conducted a study to examine the treatment outcomes and prognostic factors for patients who underwent craniospinal irradiation (CSI) for leptomeningeal metastasis of solid tumors. This retrospective study included patients who received CSI for leptomeningeal metastasis at a single institute between 2010 and 2021. Data from clinical records and the radiation information system were obtained and analyzed. A total of 25 patients were included in the study. Eighteen patients (72%) completed the scheduled CSI. The median overall survival (OS) period was 4.8 months (95% confidence interval (CI): 3.2-10.0 months). Symptom relief was achieved in four out of 23 symptomatic patients (17%). Non-hematological adverse events occurred in 12 patients (48%), with 1 patient (4%) developing Grade 3 bacterial meningitis and the other patients having Grade 1-2 events. Twenty patients (80%) had hematological adverse events of Grade 3 or higher. Grade 4 hematologic toxicities occurred in 3 patients (12%) due to neutropenia and in 11 patients (44%) due to lymphopenia. In multivariate Cox regression analysis, the systemic immune-inflammation index (SII) was identified as the only significant parameter for predicting OS. The median OS periods for patients with SII < 607 and SII ≥ 607 were 6.1 and 2.1 months, respectively (P = 0.003). In conclusion, this study showed the treatment outcomes of CSI for leptomeningeal metastasis of solid tumors. It was shown that a high baseline SII was associated with shorter OS after CSI. The findings will contribute to the evaluation of prognosis after CSI.