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Updated: Jul 11, 2026
Treatment of Liver Metastases Using an Internal Target Volume Method for Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy
Published on: May 8, 2018
Stereotactic radiosurgery of the postoperative resection cavity for brain metastases
Scott G Soltys1, John R Adler, John D Lipani
1Department of Radiation Oncology, Stanford University Medical Center, Stanford, CA, USA. sgsoltys@stanford.edu
Purpose:
The purpose of this study was to analyze results of adjuvant stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) targeted at resection cavities of brain metastases without whole-brain irradiation (WBI).
Methods And Materials:
Patients who underwent SRS to the tumor bed, deferring WBI after resection of a brain metastasis, were retrospectively identified.
Results:
Seventy-two patients with 76 cavities treated from 1998 to 2006 met inclusion criteria. The SRS was delivered to a median marginal dose of 18.6 Gy (range, 15-30 Gy) targeting an average tumor volume of 9.8 cm(3) (range, 0.1-66.8 cm(3)). With a median follow-up of 8.1 months (range, 0.1-80.5 months), 65 patients had follow-up imaging assessable for control analyses. Actuarial local control rates at 6 and 12 months were 88% and 79%, respectively. On univariate analysis, increasing values of conformality indices were the only treatment variables that correlated significantly with improved local control; local control was 100% for the least conformal quartile compared with 63% for the remaining quartiles. Target volume, dose, and number of sessions were not statistically significant.
Conclusions:
In this retrospective series, SRS administered to the resection cavity of brain metastases resulted in a 79% local control rate at 12 months. This value compares favorably with historic results with observation alone (54%) and postoperative WBI (80-90%). Given the improved local control seen with less conformal plans, we recommend inclusion of a 2-mm margin around the resection cavity when using this technique.
