Perilesional Edema as a Predictor of Local Failure in Metastatic Brain Lesions Treated with Stereotactic Radiosurgery: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

This educational activity dives into a review article examining the value of pre-treatment perilesional edema (PLE) as a prognostic factor for local failure after the treatment of brain metastases with stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS). By pooling data from nine studies, the authors found that patients whose tumors had more or any edema before treatment were significantly more likely to experience local progression after SRS. Although the overall association was consistent, the studies used different ways of defining edema, which introduces conceptual limitations when interpreting pooled results. The authors conclude that PLE is a meaningful prognostic factor and suggest that future research should test whether reducing edema at the time of SRS could improve outcomes.

This activity is available from March 18, 2026, through 11:59 p.m. Eastern time on March 17, 2028.

This article is from the International Journal of Radiation Oncology•Biology•Physics (Red Journal).

Target Audience

This course is designed to meet the interest of radiation oncologists and radiation oncology residents.

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of this activity, participants should be able to:

  • Explain the potential value of pre-treatment Perilesional Edema (PLE) as a prognostic factor in SRS treatment of Brain Metastases.
  • Discuss the impact of the differences in methodology for the studies included in the review on evaluating PLE as a prognostic factor.
  • Discuss how the presence of pre-treatment PLE could affect practice for patients undergoing SRS treatments for Brain Metastases.

 

Course summary
Available credit: 
  • 1.00 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™

    The American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education for physicians. ASTRO designates this Journal-based CME activity for a maximum of 1.00 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

  • 1.00 Certificate of Attendance
    This activity was designated for 1.00 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™.
Course opens: 
03/18/2026
Course expires: 
03/17/2028
Cost:
$49.00
Rating: 
0

Sue Yom, MD, PhD, FASTRO is employed by the University of California and receives compensation from Bristol-Myers Squibb, EMD Serono, Nanobiotx and Elsevier as well as ownership/investment in Springer and Up To Date.

The person(s) above served as the developer(s) of this activity. Additionally, ASTRO Education Committee had control over the content of this activity.

All relevant relationships have been mitigated.

The American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

Available Credit

  • 1.00 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™

    The American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education for physicians. ASTRO designates this Journal-based CME activity for a maximum of 1.00 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

  • 1.00 Certificate of Attendance
    This activity was designated for 1.00 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™.

Price

Cost:
$49.00
Please login or register to take this course.

Course Fees:
ASTRO members must log in to the ASTRO website to view and receive the discounted member rate.

  • Nonmember: $49
  • Member: $0


Policies:
No refunds, extensions, or substitutions will be made for those participants who, for any reason, have not completed the course by the end of the qualification date. The qualification date for each course is listed in the course catalog on the ASTRO website under availability.

Participants using ASTRO's online courses to satisfy the requirement of a Maintenance of Certification (MOC) program should verify the number, type and availability dates of any course before making a purchase. No refunds, extensions, or substitutions will be made for participants who have purchased courses that do not align with their MOC requirement.

The activity and its materials will only be available on the ASTRO website until March 17, 2028, regardless of purchase date. At the expiration of the activity, participants will no longer have access to the activity or its materials. ASTRO reserves the right to remove an activity before its expiration date.

 

Required Hardware/software

One of the two latest versions of Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Internet Explorer or Safari.