Stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) for oligo-metastatic liver metastases from breast cancer, as an effective and safe alternative to surgery: A review

Abstract

The liver is a common organ of metastases from most solid malignancies, including breast cancer, and breast cancer with liver metastases (BCLM) has a poor prognosis despite advances in systemic therapies. It has become widely recognized that local treatments for oligometastases with curative intent could improve disease control and survival outcomes under certain conditions. Regarding local therapy for BCLM, surgical resection had been the first choice though its indications were quite limited. Recently, an increasing number of prospective trials on stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) for liver metastases (LMs) were published, reporting excellent tumor control with less toxicity. According to these reports, breast cancer origin is a favorable prognostic factor in SBRT for liver metastasis. Further research on patient selection and optimal dose fractionation will establish SBRT as a safe and feasible alternative treatment for resection and ablation in selected patients with BCLM. This review intends to provide evidence on the background and methods of focal radiation therapy for LMs, especially BCLM, and describes the current and future role of SBRT in the treatment of BCLM.