A review of stereotactic body radiotherapy for liver and pancreas

Abstract

The first published experience with stereotactic body radiotherapy was reported on the treatment of liver malignancies at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden in the early 1990s. Since then, two different treatment schedules have evolved: hypofractionated radiation therapy, mostly using 3 fractions, and the radiosurgical approach, using single-dose therapy. As opposed to the stereotactic treatment of liver tumors, little has been published about stereotactic treatments of pancreatic tumors. The following chapter reviews the history of stereotactic radiation therapy of liver and pancreas tumors including recent updates of ongoing clinical trials. © 2007 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.