Purpose: Surgical resection of liver or pulmonary oligometastases (LP-OMD) in colorectal cancer (CRC) has been shown to improve survival. Stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) is a promising alternative for patients with primary lung cancer. However, the efficacy of SBRT for LP-OMD in CRC remains inconclusive, and local control (LC) rates are often unsatisfactory. This prospective study aimed to evaluate the treatment outcomes of dose-escalated and convergent SBRT for patients with LP-OMD from CRC, with the goal of demonstrating its effectiveness as a treatment option for these patients. Methods and materials: This study included 23 CRC patients with LP-OMD who received SBRT between 2017 and 2022. The inclusion criteria were histologically confirmed colorectal adenocarcinoma, one to three oligometastases, and a tumor diameter of 5 cm or less. Patients who were inoperable or declined surgery were included. SBRT was delivered with total doses of 50–60 Gy administered over five fractions, covering the planning target volume surface within the 60% isodose line of the maximum dose. The primary endpoint was the 2-year LC rate, while secondary endpoints included overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), and toxicity. Results: The median follow-up duration was 41.0 months (range: 11.5–77.2). At the time of analysis, five patients had died from CRC, six were alive with disease, and twelve were alive without disease. Only one patient experienced local recurrence of a pulmonary oligometastasis. The 2-year LC, PFS, and OS rates were 95.0% (95% CI: 69.5–99.3), 61.3% (95% CI: 40.0–77.0), and 88.1% (95% CI: 67.6–96.0), respectively. Toxicity was acceptable, with no grade ≥ 3 adverse events. Conclusions: High-central-dose SBRT for LP-OMD from CRC achieved favorable local control with minimal toxicity. These findings should be interpreted cautiously and require validation in larger, multi-institutional studies.
Nishimura et al. (2026) studied this question.