Laser Interstitial Thermal Therapy for Brain Metastasis

Abstract

Current strategies for the treatment of metastatic brain tumors include surgical resection or ablation, stereotactic radiosurgery, fractionated radiation therapy, whole brain radiation therapy (WBRT), and in select cases, targeted medical therapy. Though the treatment of intracranial metastatic tumors has improved significantly over the last two decades, there is still a large subset of patients who do not respond to treatment. Laser interstitial thermal therapy (LITT) is a novel, highly focused, minimally invasive technique that can be used to treat a variety of solid organ tumors. After decades of struggles, LITT established its place in the neurosurgeon’s armamentarium. This has been made possible by the utilization of recent advances in imaging technology like MR thermography. Proper patient selection for the appropriate indication is of utmost importance in ensuring the success of LITT. In this chapter, we review the current literature on the role of LITT in treatment of brain metastases and discuss its role in treating this difficult entity.