Irradiation of Spinal Metastases: Should We Continue to Include One Uninvolved Vertebral Body Above and Below in the Radiation Field?

Isolated local failures of the unirradiated adjacent vertebral bodies may occur in <5% of patients with isolated spinal metastasis. On the basis of the data, the current practice of irradiating one vertebral body above and below seems unnecessary and could be revised to irradiate only the involved level(s) of the spine metastasis.