Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy (SBRT) for Tumors Near the Spinal Cord
Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy (SBRT) for Tumors Near the Spinal Cord
The purpose of this research study is to determine if Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy
 (SBRT) is a good way to treat tumors near the spinal cord. Patients will either receive a
 single treatment or 25 days of treatment given once-a-day, Monday through Friday for about 5
 continuous weeks. Our protocol uses life expectancy, patient preference, and tumor size to
 determine whether SBRT is delivered with 1 or 25 treatments. The single treatment dose is 15
 Gy. The 25 treatment group is 70 Gy at 2.8 Gy/treatment.
This protocol is a study of the use of Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy (SBRT) for all
 types of primary or metastatic tumors near the spinal cord. The major goal of this study is
 to evaluate the efficacy and toxicity of a specific SBRT program in a prospective manner. The
 main outcome variables in this study are pain and neurologic function.

 A major issue in delivering SBRT is the number of treatment sessions. There are advantages
 and disadvantages to both single and multi treatment programs. In this protocol, patients are
 offered SBRT with either a single treatment or 25 treatment days. This study is not designed
 to compare different SBRT schedules. A single treatment program is more convenient and likely
 to relieve symptoms sooner than a multi-session program. A program with 25 treatments may
 produce better long-term results. Our protocol uses life expectancy, patient preference, and
 tumor size to determine whether SBRT is delivered with 1 or 25 treatments.
Inclusion Criteria:

 -  Informed consent to participate in this protocol

 -  Patient of all ages are eligible

 -  All tumor types are eligible

 -  Patients with prior spine radiotherapy and/or surgery to the involved area are
 eligible

 -  The tumor target must be visible on MRI or CT scan

 -  Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy (SBRT) on this protocol may produce a better
 outcome than conventional radiotherapy

 Exclusion Criteria:

 -  Patients who are likely to have a satisfactory outcome with surgical resection,
 embolization, or radiofrequency ablation without the addition of radiotherapy

 -  Tumor size, shape, or location is such that it is not reasonable to think the patient
 may benefit from SBRT as given in this protocol

 -  The full extent of the tumor cannot be visualized on MRI or CT scan

 -  Delaying radiotherapy for the time that it takes to start SBRT may compromise outcome
 compared to starting conventional radiotherapy immediately

 -  The patient cannot be positioned reproducibly due to pain or other factors