Oligometastatic disease, a new concept: Stereotactic irradiation for lung metastases. Literature review

Metastatic lung disease has long been the preserve of systemic treatments, local treatments being considered in a purely palliative intention. Several studies have objectified benefit to the local treatment of metastases, especially oligometastases. Surgery then took an important place in this setting, but the development of techniques for stereotactic radiotherapy on the one hand and the refusal or contraindication for surgery on the other hand led authors to conduct studies in this direction. This literature review describes the realization of stereotactic radiotherapy in treating pulmonary oligometastases and evaluates criteria for the selection of patients who would benefit. A comparison between the results of different studies on this technique allowed to show its effectiveness for local control, overall survival and tolerance. Stereotactic radiotherapy has emerged as a viable alternative, effective and well tolerated with local control rates comparable to that obtained by surgery (74 to 100%). Quality of life after stereotactic radiotherapy should be in a near future an important parameter to support this therapeutic choice, and needs to be precisely assessed. (c) 2012 Published by Elsevier Masson SAS on behalf of the Societe francaise de radiotherapie oncologique (SFRO).