Balancing conformity and low-dose brain exposure across Gamma Knife and Linac-Based stereotactic radiosurgery techniques for multiple brain metastases

Abstract

LINAC-based single-isocenter (SIT) stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) enables efficient treatment of multiple brain metastases but may compromise target conformity and increase low-dose brain exposure, particularly for spatially distributed lesions. Dual-isocenter techniques (DITs) may mitigate these limitations, while Gamma Knife (GK) remains the reference standard for high-selectivity radiosurgery. This study compares SIT- and DIT LINAC-based SRS with GK, focusing on target conformity and low-dose brain exposure under equivalent, zero-margin targeting assumptions. Methods: Twenty-eight patients with multiple brain metastases (197 lesions) were included in this retrospective planning study. For each patient, three plans were generated: a GK plan and LINAC-based SIT and DIT plans using automated dynamic conformal arc optimization (Elements Multiple Brain Metastases). All plans were generated using a zero-millimeter GTV-to-PTV margin strategy. For DIT, lesions were automatically clustered and assigned to two isocenters. Target coverage required ≥99% of each GTV to receive the prescription dose. Plan quality was evaluated using the Paddick Conformity Index (PCI) on a per-lesion basis and low-dose brain volumes (V12, V10, V5, V4, and V3 Gy) on a per-patient basis. Paired non-parametric tests and multivariable models were used to assess technique-related differences and associations with total target volume and lesion count. Results: GK achieved the highest median PCI (0.83), followed closely by DIT (0.77), while SIT plans demonstrated significantly lower conformity (0.73). Compared with GK, the median PCI difference was −0.05 for DIT and −0.08 for SIT. Conformity for DIT remained stable across lesion volumes and lesion counts, whereas GK conformity increased modestly with lesion size. Low-dose brain exposure differed significantly between techniques at all dose levels (p