Improving radiotherapy for brain tumors.

Radiation oncologists treating patients with primary brain tumors are faced with two important issues: How to improve the cure rate over that which is achievable with the current radiotherapy modalities and how to decrease long-term morbidity while maintaining or improving the cure rate. Several new approaches are being studied, including interstitial implants, stereotactic radiosurgery, new radiation modalities, radiosensitizers, hyperthermia, and altered fractionation programs. It is nonetheless important to remember that such innovative radiotherapy must be incorporated into the overall multimodal therapy for patients with primary malignant brain tumors.