Whole Brain Radiotherapy Versus Volumetric Modulated Arc Therapy for Brain Metastases

Patients with brain metastases with expected life expectancy of 3-6 months are typically treated with radiotherapy to the whole brain giving a dose of 20 Gy over a 5 day period. This study will compare this with volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) which is capable of delivering 15 Gy in one single session to identified disease within the brain but sparing the normal surrounding brain tissue. Primarily the study will assess whether it is possible to recruit sufficient patient numbers to a trial of this type. It will also compare effectiveness, side effects and quality of life between the two treatment methods.