Linear accelerator radiosurgery in brain tumor management

This article begins with a brief introduction to the concepts and technique s of linear accelerator-based stereotactic radiosurgery. The expanding role of radiosurgery in the treatment of brain tumors is explored in depth, inc luding detailed discussions of the five intracranial neoplasms most frequen tly treated with radiosurgery. These include both benign (i.e., vestibular schwannoma, meningioma, pituitary adenoma) and malignant (i.e., cerebral me tastasis, malignant glioma) pathologies. For each of these, a thorough revi ew of published radiosurgical results is presented along with a discussion of common treatment modalities. The role of radiosurgery in the treatment o f brain tumors continues to be defined, but an effort is made to provide re asonable indications for and against radiosurgery based on the current stat e of the art.