Radical irradiation of extracranial oligometastases

Abstract

Advances in radiotherapy planning and delivery have been used to treat patients with limited metastatic disease. With these techniques, high rates of treated metastasis control and low toxicity have been reported. Some patients have long disease-free intervals after radiotherapy similar to those seen after surgical resection. Ongoing studies will determine the benefit of these irradiation techniques to treat limited metastases, identify appropriate candidates, and assist in integrating these treatments into management strategies for specific diseases.

Fig 1.

Example of patient with limited metastatic disease in abdomen treated with stereotactic body radiation therapy to both metastases simultaneously. (A) Coronal and (B) axial slices show how radiotherapy planning needs to account for contributions of entrance and exit doses from one metastasis to another.