Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41872576›Full record

SynthesisJournal of neuro-oncology2026

Treatment outcomes of stereotactic radiosurgery for sarcoma brain metastases-systematic review.

Muhammad Izhar, Ahed H Kattaa, Yusuke S Hori, Fred C Lam, Neeraj Kalra, Nirmeen Zagzoog, Armine Tayag, Louisa Ustrzynski, Sara C Emrich, David J Park and 1 more

Abstract readSystematic ReviewReview
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Journal of neuro-oncology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Article
  3. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

11 authors.

Muhammad IzharDepartment of Neurosurgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA.
Ahed H KattaaDepartment of Neurosurgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA.
Yusuke S HoriDepartment of Neurosurgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA.
Fred C LamDepartment of Neurosurgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA.
Neeraj KalraDepartment of Neurosurgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA.
Nirmeen ZagzoogDepartment of Neurosurgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA.
Armine TayagDepartment of Neurosurgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA.
Louisa UstrzynskiDepartment of Neurosurgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA.
Sara C EmrichDepartment of Neurosurgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA.
David J ParkDepartment of Neurosurgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA. djpark@stanford.edu.
Steven D ChangDepartment of Neurosurgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundBrain metastases (BM) from sarcoma are rare and associated with poor prognosis. Stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) has increasingly been utilized as a local treatment modality; however, outcome data remain limited and heterogeneous.

methodsThis systematic review was conducted in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. A comprehensive literature search was performed using Google Scholar, PubMed, Embase, Scopus, and Cochrane. A total of 1,502 records were identified, including Google Scholar (n = 999), PubMed (n = 142), Embase (n = 208), Scopus (n = 149), and Cochrane (n = 4). After the removal of 196 duplicate records using Covidence, 1306 studies underwent title and abstract screening. Of these, 1187 were excluded, and 31 articles were sought for full-text retrieval. A total of nine studies met the inclusion criteria and were included in this systematic review.

resultsA total of 272 patients, male-predominant, with about 745 BM from sarcoma were treated with SRS. Overall local tumor control (LTC) rates ranged from 81% to 92.9%. Three-month LTC varied between 78% and 100%, while 6-month LTC ranged from 52% to 90.9%. One-year LTC demonstrated substantial variability (0-78.3%), and limited data reported 2-year LTC of 62.2%. Overall survival (OS) outcomes were inconsistently reported. Six-month OS ranged from 50% to 61%, and 1-year OS ranged from 22% to 61%. Two-year OS ranged from 29% to 37.3%. Median OS durations ranged from 6.1 to 16 months. Extracranial metastases, tumor volume, spindle cell and pleomorphic histology, number of brain metastases, age, and hemorrhagic lesions were significant prognostic factors. The adverse events were low-grade and infrequent.

conclusionNo standardized treatment strategy currently exists for sarcoma BM. Available evidence suggests that SRS provides survival outcomes comparable to surgical management while offering a less invasive treatment option. However, given the heterogeneity and limited quality of existing studies, further research is needed to better define optimal management strategies. CLINICAL TRIAL NUMBER: Not applicable.

Indexed as

Brain NeoplasmsRadiosurgerySarcomaHumansPrognosisTreatment OutcomeBrain metastasesCyberKnifeGamma KnifeRadiosurgerySarcoma

Identifiers

PMID41872576

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.