Stereotactic Radiosurgery or Whole Brain Radiation Therapy in Treating Patients With Newly Diagnosed Non-melanoma Brain Metastases

This randomized phase III clinical trial compares stereotactic radiosurgery with whole brain radiation therapy to see how well they work in treating patients with non-melanoma cancer that has recently spread from the first location to the brain. Radiation therapy uses high energy x-rays to kill tumor cells and shrink tumors. Stereotactic radiosurgery is a specialized type of radiation therapy that delivers a single, high dose of radiation directly to the tumor and may kill more tumor cells and cause less damage to normal tissue. Whole brain radiation therapy delivers a lower dose of radiation to the entire brain over several treatments. It is not yet known whether stereotactic radiosurgery works better than whole brain radiation therapy in treating patients with non-melanoma brain metastases. Stereotactic radiosurgery may also cause fewer thinking and memory problems than whole brain radiation therapy.