{"title":"Association Between Treatment Sequencing and Overall Survival in Stage IV NSCLC With Brain Metastases: A National Cancer Database Study.","authors":"Anand Shah, Pranav Gwalani, Merry Zhai, Ritik Goyal, Joshua Kra","doi":"10.1111/1759-7714.70359","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>The optimal sequencing of brain-directed radiation and systemic therapy in stage IV non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with brain metastases remains uncertain in the era of CNS-active systemic agents. We evaluated survival outcomes using national real-world data.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We conducted a retrospective cohort study of adults diagnosed between 2010 and 2022 with stage IV NSCLC and brain metastases in the National Cancer Database who received both brain-directed radiation and systemic therapy. Treatment sequence was classified as radiation-first or systemic-first based on initiation dates. Multivariable Cox proportional hazards models, stratified by treatment era (pre-2015 vs. 2015+), assessed associations with overall survival (OS), adjusting for demographic, clinical, tumor, and treatment factors. Propensity score matching and delayed-entry sensitivity analyses were performed to address confounding and immortal time bias.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Among 45 577 patients, 78.3% received radiation-first and 21.7% received systemic therapy first. Unadjusted Kaplan-Meier analysis showed no significant difference in OS (log-rank p = 0.624). In multivariable analysis, systemic-first sequencing was associated with a modest increase in mortality (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR] 1.06; 95% CI: 1.04-1.09), which was consistent in propensity-matched (HR 1.07; 95% CI: 1.04-1.11) and delayed-entry analyses (aHR 1.09; 95% CI: 1.07-1.12). The use of systemic-first therapy increased over time. Established prognostic factors demonstrated larger effect sizes.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Systemic-first sequencing was associated with a modest increase in adjusted mortality; however, the effect size was small relative to established prognostic factors and likely influenced by residual confounding and selection bias. These findings support individualized, multidisciplinary treatment decisions rather than a uniform sequencing strategy.</p>","PeriodicalId":23338,"journal":{"name":"Thoracic Cancer","volume":"17 14","pages":"e70359"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6000,"publicationDate":"2026-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13381076/pdf/","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Thoracic Cancer","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1111/1759-7714.70359","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q3","JCRName":"ONCOLOGY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Background: The optimal sequencing of brain-directed radiation and systemic therapy in stage IV non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with brain metastases remains uncertain in the era of CNS-active systemic agents. We evaluated survival outcomes using national real-world data.
Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of adults diagnosed between 2010 and 2022 with stage IV NSCLC and brain metastases in the National Cancer Database who received both brain-directed radiation and systemic therapy. Treatment sequence was classified as radiation-first or systemic-first based on initiation dates. Multivariable Cox proportional hazards models, stratified by treatment era (pre-2015 vs. 2015+), assessed associations with overall survival (OS), adjusting for demographic, clinical, tumor, and treatment factors. Propensity score matching and delayed-entry sensitivity analyses were performed to address confounding and immortal time bias.
Results: Among 45 577 patients, 78.3% received radiation-first and 21.7% received systemic therapy first. Unadjusted Kaplan-Meier analysis showed no significant difference in OS (log-rank p = 0.624). In multivariable analysis, systemic-first sequencing was associated with a modest increase in mortality (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR] 1.06; 95% CI: 1.04-1.09), which was consistent in propensity-matched (HR 1.07; 95% CI: 1.04-1.11) and delayed-entry analyses (aHR 1.09; 95% CI: 1.07-1.12). The use of systemic-first therapy increased over time. Established prognostic factors demonstrated larger effect sizes.
Conclusion: Systemic-first sequencing was associated with a modest increase in adjusted mortality; however, the effect size was small relative to established prognostic factors and likely influenced by residual confounding and selection bias. These findings support individualized, multidisciplinary treatment decisions rather than a uniform sequencing strategy.
期刊介绍:
Thoracic Cancer aims to facilitate international collaboration and exchange of comprehensive and cutting-edge information on basic, translational, and applied clinical research in lung cancer, esophageal cancer, mediastinal cancer, breast cancer and other thoracic malignancies. Prevention, treatment and research relevant to Asia-Pacific is a focus area, but submissions from all regions are welcomed. The editors encourage contributions relevant to prevention, general thoracic surgery, medical oncology, radiology, radiation medicine, pathology, basic cancer research, as well as epidemiological and translational studies in thoracic cancer. Thoracic Cancer is the official publication of the Chinese Society of Lung Cancer, International Chinese Society of Thoracic Surgery and is endorsed by the Korean Association for the Study of Lung Cancer and the Hong Kong Cancer Therapy Society.
The Journal publishes a range of article types including: Editorials, Invited Reviews, Mini Reviews, Original Articles, Clinical Guidelines, Technological Notes, Imaging in thoracic cancer, Meeting Reports, Case Reports, Letters to the Editor, Commentaries, and Brief Reports.