ABSTRACT
Stereotactic radiosurgery for the treatment of primary malignant gliomas is counterintuitive. Radiosurgery provides a high dose of ionizing radiation to a small, well-defined volume of tissue, whereas gliomas tend to be large, diffuse, and infiltrating. Nevertheless, standard therapeutic approaches in the management of gliomas yield discouraging results, with the majority of patients diagnosed with glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) suffering local recurrence and dying within a year of diagnosis, and with survival beyond 2 years being rare. Nearly 80% of GBM recurrences occur within 2 cm of the primary site after conventional therapies [1]. In this context, either by retarding or preventing recurrence, dose escalation in areas with greatest tumor cell density may offer significant benefit for the individual patient while sparing normal functioning brain tissue lying on the periphery.
