Preoperative Versus Postoperative Fractionated Stereotactic Radiation Therapy: A Single Institution Analysis of 534 Resected Metastases

Purpose: Patients with large or symptomatic brain metastases typically have surgery followed by postoperative (post-op) stereotactic radiosurgery. However, post-op stereotactic radiosurgery leads to elevated rates of radiation necrosis (RN), nodular meningeal disease (nMD), and local failure (LF) when compared with whole brain radiation therapy. Fractionated stereotactic radiation therapy (FSRT) can deliver a higher biological effective dose and may reduce the risk of LF, and preoperative (pre-op) treatments may reduce the risk of RN and nMD through treating smaller volumes and tumor sterilization. Methods and Materials: This single institution cohort study included patients who had surgical resection and FSRT to at least one brain metastasis. Pre-op or post-op FSRT was delivered with a dose of 27 Gy in 3 fractions or 30 Gy in 5 fractions. The primary endpoint was a composite endpoint defined by (1) LF, (2) nMD, and/or (3) grade 2 or higher (symptomatic) RN. Results: Of the 534 resected brain metastases from 458 patients were eligible for analysis, 235 and 299 metastases received pre-op and post-op FSRT, respectively. Notably, 4 (1.7%) pre-op and 14 (4.7%) post-op metastases were diagnosed with nMD (P = .088). Notably, 28 (12%) and 59 (20%) metastases that received pre-op and post-op FSRT, respectively, experienced the composite endpoint (P = .018). The 3-year composite endpoint for pre-op and post-op FSRT was 15% (95% CI, 10%-20%) and 20% (95% CI, 15%-25%), respectively. Conclusions: In our study, pre-op FSRT compares favorably to post-op FSRT primarily because of a lower incidence of nMD. Differences between treatment groups for symptomatic RN or LF endpoints were comparatively smaller. Prospective validation of pre-op FSRT is needed.