Whole brain radiotherapy in the treatment of metastatic brain tumors

Previous prospective and retrospective trials have failed to demonstrate the best treatment approach for patients with brain metastases. As a result, fractionated whole brain radiotherapy (WBRT) has been the mainstay of treatment for several decades. However, with improved surgical techniques and the advent of radiosurgical procedures to treat single and multiple metastases, the continued value of WBRT is in question. This is particularly true in the treatment of a favorable patient subset where the risks of long-term morbidity need to be addressed. This article reviews the trials of the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG) and other select radiotherapy brain metastases trials, and compares their morbidities and outcomes to surgical and radiosurgical techniques. It is unfortunate that the inherent selection bias in most retrospective studies makes comparisons difficult. Therefore, to better understand the roles of WBRT, surgery, and radiosurgery in the treatment of brain metastases, additional randomized studies need to be conducted on homogeneous patient groups.