Spinal Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy

Patients with advanced cancer are often diagnosed with spinal metastases. During the course of their illness, most will be offered radiation treatment. With improvement in systemic therapies and increasing cancer survivorship, local control and long-term pain control become significant therapeutic goals to achieve. Spine stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) allows for the administration of high-dose targeted radiation treatment for these patients while sparing the surrounding organs at risk (OAR), namely, the spinal cord. When compared to conventional radiotherapy, randomized evidence has confirmed SBRT to improve the complete response rate to pain at both 3 and 6 months post treatment, and improve local control with less retreatments.