title: Stereotactic body radiotherapy for spinal metastases: current status, with a focus on its application in the postoperative patient.
abstract: Stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) for spinal metastases is an emerging therapeutic option aimed at delivering high biologically effective doses to metastases while sparing the adjacent normal tissues. This technique has emerged following advances in radiation delivery that include sophisticated radiation treatment planning software, body immobilization devices, and capabilities of detecting and correcting patient positional deviations with image-guided radiotherapy. There are limited clinical data specifically supporting the role of SBRT as a superior alternative to conventional radiation in the postoperative patient. The focus of this review was to examine the evidence pertaining to spine SBRT in the treatment of spinal metastases and to provide a comprehensive analysis of published patterns of failure, with emphasis on the postoperative patient.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiation Oncology, Princess Margaret Hospital, University of Toronto, 610 University Avenue, Toronto, Ontario M5G2M9, Canada. arjun.sahgal@rmp.uhn.on.ca
authors.forename: Arjun
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sahgal
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bilsky
authors.forename: Eric L
authors.initials: EL
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.forename: Lijun
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.forename: Yoshiya
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yamada
authors.forename: Laurence D
authors.initials: LD
authors.lastname: Rhines
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Létourneau
authors.forename: Matthew
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Foote
authors.forename: Eugene
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: David A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Larson
authors.forename: Michael G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Fehlings
mesh_terms: D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D015174:Epidural Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000556:secondary / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000601:surgery; D056888:Patient Positioning / Q000295:instrumentation; D016634:Radiosurgery / Q000295:instrumentation; D012086:Reoperation; D013117:Spinal Cord Compression / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000601:surgery; D013123:Spinal Fusion; D013125:Spinal Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000556:secondary* / Q000601:surgery*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed