Radiotherapy for brain metastases is usually delivered via whole-brain radiotherapy or stereotactic radiotherapy, according to John Kirkpatrick, MD, PhD. Patients may experience different outcomes and complications based on the type of radiotherapy used.
“In whole-brain radiation therapy we are trying to minimize toxicity by fractioning radiation therapy or breaking it up into multiple treatments,” Kirkpatrick said. “In stereotactic radiosurgery we are really employing a different paradigm. We are minimizing damage and minimizing toxicity by applying radiation therapy only to the lesion itself.”