Most patients with cancer who develop brain metastases have a very poor prognosis, especially those with brain metastases from non-small-cell lung cancer. The short life-expectancy of these patients, which is typically measured in weeks or a few months, raises an important question: do they benefit from whole-brain radiotherapy, or are they appropriately treated with best supportive care alone? A recent randomized trial sought to answer this question.
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Rades, D., Schild, S. Best supportive care — a reasonable option for patients with brain metastases?. Nat Rev Clin Oncol 13, 722–724 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrclinonc.2016.179
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nrclinonc.2016.179
