Radiotherapy and radiosurgery for tumors of the central nervous system.

In this article, the application of radiotherapy, alone and in combination with surgery and chemotherapy, in the treatment of metastases to the brain (the most common malignant brain lesion), primary malignant gliomas (the most common malignant primary brain tumor), and metastases to the osseous spine is reviewed. Brain metastases may be treated with surgical resection, whole-brain radiotherapy, stereotactic radiosurgery, or some combination of these treatments. The optimum treatment of brain metastases is a matter of controversy, and patient and disease factors favoring one approach over another are presented.