termsTerm
Radiation necrosis (brain)
Death of brain tissue months to years after radiosurgery or high-dose brain radiotherapy, which can look exactly like tumour growing back on a scan.
Overview
Radiation necrosis affects a minority of patients after stereotactic radiosurgery to brain metastases and after high-dose treatment of gliomas, more often with larger volumes and with concurrent immunotherapy or targeted drugs. It causes swelling and symptoms that mimic progression; perfusion MRI, amino-acid PET and sometimes biopsy separate the two. Treatment is steroids, bevacizumab for refractory cases, and occasionally surgery or laser ablation.
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