Khan A, Zhao HF, Meng H, Wu N, Liu LL. Stereotactic radiotherapy for brain metastases of non-small cell lung cancer: A comprehensive review. World J Radiol 2025; 17(8): 111076 [DOI: 10.4329/wjr.v17.i8.111076]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Ning Wu, MD, Professor, Department of Radiation Oncology, China-Japan Union Hospital of Jilin University, No. 126 Xiantai Street, Changchun 130033, Jilin Province, China. wuning@jlu.edu.cn
Research Domain of This Article
Radiology, Nuclear Medicine & Medical Imaging
Article-Type of This Article
Review
Open-Access Policy of This Article
This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
World J Radiol. Aug 28, 2025; 17(8): 111076 Published online Aug 28, 2025. doi: 10.4329/wjr.v17.i8.111076
Stereotactic radiotherapy for brain metastases of non-small cell lung cancer: A comprehensive review
Aamir Khan, Hong-Fu Zhao, Hao Meng, Ning Wu, Lin-Lin Liu
Aamir Khan, Hong-Fu Zhao, Hao Meng, Ning Wu, Lin-Lin Liu, Department of Radiation Oncology, China-Japan Union Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun 130033, Jilin Province, China
Co-corresponding authors: Ning Wu and Lin-Lin Liu.
Author contributions: Khan A was responsible for extensive literature reading and manuscript writing; Zhao HF and Meng H provided technical guidance throughout the preparation of the review; Liu LL and Wu N as co-corresponding authors, proposed the research concept and provided overall supervision and strategic direction for the work.
Supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China, No. 2022YFE0110200; Project of Science and Technology Department of Jilin Province, No. 20240501002GH and No. YDZJ202102CXJD020; Jilin University Norman Bethune Medical Department “Medicine+X” Project, No. 2022JBGS04; Project of Development and Reform Commission of Jilin Province, No. 2021C023; Department of Human Resources and Social Security Project of Jilin Province; and 20th Batch of Innovation and Entrepreneurship Talent Funding Project of Jilin Province.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors declare no conflict of interests for this article.
Open Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Ning Wu, MD, Professor, Department of Radiation Oncology, China-Japan Union Hospital of Jilin University, No. 126 Xiantai Street, Changchun 130033, Jilin Province, China. wuning@jlu.edu.cn
Received: June 23, 2025 Revised: July 16, 2025 Accepted: August 8, 2025 Published online: August 28, 2025 Processing time: 67 Days and 2 Hours
Abstract
Lung cancer, particularly non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), remains a leading cause of cancer-related death globally, and a significant number of patients develop brain metastasis (BM) as the disease progresses. The presence of BM, which affects up to 60% of patients with NSCLC, is correlated with an unfavorable prognosis and markedly decreased quality of life. Standard treatment options for BMs, such as whole-brain radiation therapy and surgery, have displayed limited efficacy in controlling disease progression, and they can cause significant neurocognitive side effects. Stereotactic radiotherapy (SRT), including stereotactic radiosurgery, fractionated SRT, and stereotactic body radiotherapy, represents an advanced and precise approach for treating BM that minimizes damage to surrounding healthy tissues. This review highlights recent advances in the application of SRT for treating BM of NSCLC, focusing on its underlying biological principles and mechanisms of action as well as the quality standards necessary for effective SRT implementation. The ability of SRT to deliver substantial radiation doses in a precisely targeted manner has resulted in better local tumor management, fewer side effects, and increased patient survival rates. Future research is crucial to improve SRT procedures and successfully incorporate them into multimodal therapy plans for patients with NSCLC and BM.
Core Tip: Stereotactic radiotherapy (SRT) offers a precise and effective treatment option for brain metastasis (BM) in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), providing better local tumor control, fewer side effects, and improved survival rates compared with the effects of traditional therapies. Integrating SRT with immunotherapy has displayed promise in enhancing intracranial progression-free survival, but further research is needed to optimize treatment protocols and refine multimodal therapy strategies for patients with NSCLC and BM.
