Radiosurgery in the Treatment of Brain Metastases

摘要

Metastatic brain tumors are up to 10 times more common than primary brain tumors with an annual incidence of between 80 and 150,000 new cases each year. Fifteen to forty (percent) of cancer patients will be diagnosed with a brain metastasis during the course of their illness. Once a brain metastasis has been diagnosed, the median life expectancy is less than 1 year. However, in many patients, aggressive treatment of metastatic disease has been shown to restore neurologic function and prevent further neurological manifestations. Debate exists concerning the optimum treatment for metastatic brain disease.