Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 20, 2025
Treatment of Liver Metastases Using an Internal Target Volume Method for Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy
Published on: May 8, 2018
Knowing When to Use Stereotactic Ablative Radiation Therapy in Oligometastatic Cancer
Davide Franceschini1, Maria Ausilia Teriaca1, Luca Dominici1
1Department of Radiotherapy and Radiosurgery, IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, Milan, Italy.
Abstract:
Oligometastatic patients are a heterogeneous and yet not well-defined population. The actual definition identifies as oligometastatic, patients with 1-5 metastases in 1-3 different organs. However, only a proportion of these patients are "true" oligometastatic and therefore derive some kinds of benefit from local ablative approaches like stereotactic ablative radiation therapy (SABR). Since SABR is an easily accessible, effective and well-tolerated treatment, it is widely employed in the oligometastatic scenarios, without a particular focus on selection criteria. However, it should be crucial to identify predictive and prognostic features that could be clinically implemented. Therefore, we conducted this narrative review of the available literature to summarize all clinical, radiomic, genetic and epigenetic features found to be predictive of overall survival, progression-free survival or local control of oligometastatic patients treated with SABR.
Insights
Identifying true oligometastatic patients is key for effective treatment. This review summarizes features predicting survival and local control for patients receiving stereotactic ablative radiation therapy (SABR).
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Radiation Oncology
- Medical Physics
Background:
- Oligometastatic disease describes patients with a limited number of metastases (1-5) across 1-3 organs.
- Stereotactic ablative radiation therapy (SABR) is a widely used, accessible, and effective local treatment for oligometastatic patients.
- Patient selection for SABR remains challenging, as only a subset truly benefits from ablative approaches.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review and synthesize existing literature on predictive and prognostic features for oligometastatic patients undergoing SABR.
- To identify clinical, radiomic, genetic, and epigenetic factors associated with improved outcomes in this patient population.
Main Methods:
- Conducted a narrative review of published literature.
- Focused on studies reporting outcomes for oligometastatic patients treated with SABR.
- Extracted data on clinical, radiomic, genetic, and epigenetic features correlating with survival and local control.
Main Results:
- Summarized various features that may predict overall survival, progression-free survival, and local control in oligometastatic patients.
- Highlighted the heterogeneity within the oligometastatic population, emphasizing the need for refined selection criteria.
- Identified potential biomarkers and clinical characteristics that could guide SABR treatment decisions.
Conclusions:
- Accurate identification of "true" oligometastatic patients is crucial for optimizing SABR benefits.
- Further research into predictive and prognostic markers is needed for clinical implementation.
- Personalized treatment strategies based on identified features can improve outcomes for oligometastatic patients receiving SABR.
