This work aims to evaluate neurocognitive performance, daily activity and quality of life and local control among patients with brain metastasis (MBM) ≥ 5 due to solid tumors treated with Stereotactic RadioSurgery (SRS) or Whole Brain RadioTherapy (WBRT). This multicentric randomised controlled trial will be conducted at the Fondazione IOM (Viagrande) in collaboration with REM (Viagrande), Hospital G. Martino (Messina) and Hospital Civico ARNAS (Palermo). It will involve, within 5 years starting from 15 September 2020, the enrollment of 100 patients (50 for each arm) with MBM ≥ 5, age ≥ 18 years, Karnofsky Performance Status (KPS) ≥ 70, life expectancy \> 3 months, histological confirmation of primary tumor, with controlled or controllable extracranial disease, baseline Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) of 20/30, Barthel Activities of Daily Living score 90/100, to be subjected to SRS on each brain lesion by LINAC with monoisocentric technique and non-coplanar arcs (experimental arm) or to WBRT (control arm). The primary endpoints are neurocognitive performance, quality of life and autonomy in daily-life activities variations, the first one assessed by Moca Score and Hopkins Verbal Learning Test - Revised, the second one through the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire Core 15 Palliative Care (EORTC QLQ-C15-PAL) and Brain Neoplasm (BN-20) questionnaires, the third one through the Barthel Index, respectively. The secondary endpoints are time to intracranial failure, overall survival, retreatments frequency, acute and late toxicities, KPS decrease. It will be considered significant a statistical difference of at least 29% between the two arms (statistical power of 80% with a significance level of 95%). This trial has been approved by the local ethics committee on July 7th 2020 (record 70). Several studies debate what is the predominant factor accountable for the development of neurocognitive decay among patients undergoing brain irradiation for MBM: radiotherapy, especially if extended to the entire brain, or intracranial disease progression? Answer to this question may come from current opportunity, thanks to recent technological advancement, to treat, with significant time savings, improved patient comfort and at the same time minimizing the dose to healthy brain tissue, Multiple Brain Metastasis simultaneously, otherwise attackable only by panencephalic irradiation. The pursuit of a local control rate comparable to that obtainable with WBRT remains the fundamental prerequisite for the aforementioned related assessments.
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Neurocognitive changes detected through Moca Score
Timeframe: Change from Baseline pre-Radiotherapy Neurocognitive Functional Status every three months after treatment through study completion, an average of 1 year
Changes of Autonomy in daily activities detected through the Barthel Index
Timeframe: Change from Baseline pre-Radiotherapy Barthel Index every three months after treatment through study completion, an average of 1 year
Change in quality of life detected though the EORTC QLQ-C15-PAL questionnaire
Timeframe: Change from Baseline pre-Radiotherapy EORTC QLQ-C15-PAL questionnaire every three months after treatment through study completion, an average of 1 year
Neurocognitive changes detected through Hopkins Verbal Learning Test - Revised
Timeframe: Change from Baseline pre-Radiotherapy Neurocognitive Functional Status every three months after treatment through study completion, an average of 1 year
Change in quality of life detected though the BN-20 questionnaire
Timeframe: Change from Baseline pre-Radiotherapy BN-20 questionnaire every three months after treatment through study completion, an average of 1 year