[Radiotherapy results in brain metastases (118 cases)]

Results of palliative radiation therapy in cerebral metastases of various primary tumors are reported. The radiation therapy consisted in a large-volume irradiation which encompassed the whole cerebrum, using single dose of 200 rd (calculated for the center of the skull) five times a week, amounting to a total dose of 4000 rd, sometimes up to 5000 rd. In some cases, a saturating irradiation of a small volume reached 5000 or 6000 rd. A significant improvement in symptomatics was obtained in about 70% of the patients. The average time of survival after accomplishment of the radiation therapy amounted to six months. Own results and the summarized results of the other authors justify the irradiation of cerebral metastases as a rewarding palliative indication.