A new prognostic score derived from phase I study participants with advanced solid tumours is also valid in patients with brain metastasis.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the performance of a new prognostic score, originally developed in patients with advanced solid tumours participating in phase I trials, for patients with brain metastases treated outside of clinical trials. Seventy-one consecutive patients were assigned 1 point for more than two sites of metastasis, 1 point for albumin <35 g/l, and 1 point for lactate dehydrogenase >upper limit of normal. Forty-eight patients (68%) were assigned 0-1 points (favourable group) and 23 patients (32%) had 2-3 points (unfavourable group). Median overall survival from initiation of therapy was 5.5 months for those with score 0-1 versus 2.7 months for those with score 2-3, p<0.05. The new score appears to predict survival in other groups of patients with metastatic cancer, not only those participating in phase I clinical trials. Its performance should be evaluated in larger groups of patients and head to head comparisons of the established brain metastases scores with this new model should be made.