Proton beam radiosurgery: early clinical results

Brain metastases are the most common type of intracranial malignancy. Brain metastases are a devastating effect of cancer which lowers the quality of life of patients and can eventually lead to their death. There are certain cancers which commonly metastasize to the brain, including lung cancer, breast cancer, melanoma, and renal cell carcinoma. The management for patients with brain metastases can vary widely and includes neurosurgical resection, whole brain radiation therapy (WBRT), stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS), systemic therapy, or comfort care measures alone (1-3). Untreated, the median survival of a patient with brain metastases from a solid malignancy is 1 to 2 months.