Background Data on the prevalence of brain metastases at presentation in patients with non–
small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) are limited. We queried the National Cancer Data Base to
determine prevalence, clinical risk factors, and outcomes of patients with NSCLC presenting
with brain metastases. Patients and Methods Patients with NSCLC diagnosed between
2010 and 2012 were identified using the National Cancer Data Base. The risk of brain
metastases for individual variables was summarized by odds ratios and calculated using …

Brain metastases (BM) are diagnosed frequently in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC)
patients. Despite the high incidence of BM (up to 40% in unselected patients), patients with
untreated and/or unstable BM were excluded from pivotal immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI)
NSCLC trials. Percentage of patients with stable and treated BM in these trials ranged from
9.1 to 14.7% and ICI benefit over chemotherapy was not always demonstrated. Only small
trials have been completed that demonstrated ICI efficacy in locally untreated, selected BM …