Population-based patterns of radiation therapy use for brain metastasis patients in British Columbia from 2017–2022

Lay Summary This study evaluated radiotherapy utilization for brain metastases in British Columbia from 2017–2022. Overall, 2,793 patients received 3,313 radiotherapy courses. The use of radiotherapy increased by 124% over the study period. The use of focal radiotherapy, particularly conformal stereotactic radiotherapy, increased substantially, while use of whole-brain radiotherapy declined. Given the lower cognitive impact of focal approaches, these findings reflect evolving treatment practices and have important implications for future resource planning, workforce needs, and access to increasingly complex radiation technologies as the number of patients with brain metastases continues to grow.