A prominent report appeared in the New England Journal of Medicine about this. Other patients come to us with intractable symptoms not having responded to standard immunotherapy approaches such at Interleukin and Interferon. Some have kidney cancer that has metastasized and seek to have bulky, bleeding or painful cancers controlled. This relief of symptoms frequently appears quickly after body radiosurgery. Other patients have co-morbid conditions precluding open surgery.
Some patients refuse such surgery because of religious or other beliefs.
Thus, stereotactic radiosurgery both for brain metastases, body metastases and primary cancers within the kidney may offer appeal in selected patients. Obviously, patients before undergoing treatment are informed of all risks, benefits and alternatives of treatment. Included in this is no treatment, surgical, immunotherapy or otherwise. Our data is presented at national and international meetings in an attempt to stimulate discussion among physicians and patients dealing with this difficult disease. I just returned from the National body radiosurgery meetings in Tokyo, Japan where this information was presented for the first time.