Abstract
Stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) is a new radiation technique that combines improvements in radiotherapy planning, intensity modulation and image guidance. The use of SBRT enables radiotherapy to be delivered instead of in six weeks in only a few days and with ablative total dose. Prospective phase II studies in patients with inoperable early stage non-small cell lung cancer demonstrate that the use of SBRT results in local control rates of 85-95% with acceptable toxicity. SBRT is also increasingly used for treatment of metastases in the lung, liver, retroperitoneum and in bones. Because SBRT enables a locally curative dose to be delivered in a time efficient manner this technique also opens up new perspectives for the treatment of patients with oligometastases.