20 Feb Targeted Radiosurgery Beats Whole Brain Radiation For Brain Tumor Survival

MedicalResearch.com Interview with:

Dr. N. Scott Litofsky,

N. Scott Litofsky, M.D.
Chief of the Division of Neurological Surgery
University of Missouri School of Medicine

MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response: Radiosurgery is being used more often for treatment of brain metastases to avoid potential side effects of whole-brain radiation, such as cognition and mobility impairment. After surgical resection of a brain metastases, some radiation treatment is generally needed to control brain disease. Few studies have directly compared efficacy of tumor control between surgery followed by whole-brain radiation and surgery followed by radiosurgery.

Our objective was to compare outcomes in two groups of patients – one whose brain metastasis was treated with surgery followed by whole-brain radiation and one whose surgery was followed by radiosurgery to the post-operative tumor bed.

We found that tumor control was similar for both groups, with survival actually better in the radiosurgery group. The complications of treatment were similar.

MedicalResearch.com: What should readers take away from your report?

Response: Surgery followed by radiosurgery for brain metastases is at least comparable to surgery followed by whole-brain radiation, so in most cases a surgery followed by radiosurgery plan is probably the most appropriate plan for the patient.

MedicalResearch.com: What recommendations do you have for future research as a result of this study?

Response: Further study might look at particular tumor types more closely. A prospective study could also eliminate patient selection biases that may be present in our retrospective study. 

MedicalResearch.com: Is there anything else you would like to add?

Response: This work was funded by grants to Kristin Scheitler-Ring from the Bob Willis Medical Student Fellowship of the American Brain Tumor Association and a Medical Student Summer Research Fellowship from the University of Missouri School of Medicine Office of Medical Research.

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Citation:

Kristen Scheitler-Ring, Bin Ge, Greg Petroski, Gregory Biedermann, N. Scott Litofsky.Radiosurgery to the Postoperative Tumor Bed for Metastatic Carcinoma Versus Whole Brain Radiation After Surgery. Cureus, 2016; DOI: 7759/cureus.885

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