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Stereotactic body radiation therapy: 2007 update
Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Virginia Medical School, Charlottesville, VA
Stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) consists of treating extracranial tumors with one to five highly conformal high-dose radiation fractions with ablative intent. SBRT has been made possible by the convergence of new body immobilization systems, improvements in radiation therapy planning algorithms that permit highly conformal isodose distributions, and the commercial availability of image-guided radiation units capable of delivering and verifying the spatial accuracy of such treatment. Several institutional phase I/II clinical trials designed to determine the maximal permissible doses and at least one cooperative group trial have been completed for tumors in the lungs, liver, and spine. Initial reports of efficacy in early-stage peripheral non-small cell lung cancer patients are encouraging, with 2- and 3-year local control rates ³ 90% and low rates of grade 3 or higher toxicities (5%) being reported for high-dose treatments.
| Commun Oncol 2007;4:616–620 | full text |  126 kb |