Usefulness of pro-gastrin-releasing peptide as a predictor of the incidence of brain metastasis and effect of prophylactic cranial irradiation in patients with limited-stage small-cell lung cancer.

Prophylactic cranial irradiation (PCI) is recommended for patients with limited-stage small-cell lung cancer (LS-SCLC) who respond well to initial treatment. However, PCI is often omitted because of its potential neurotoxicity in the era of modern diagnostic imaging devices. In the present study, we aimed to investigate the risk factors for brain metastasis (BM) in patients eligible for PCI and who may benefit more from it.