# Stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT / SABR)

Source: https://onco.cc/terms/sbrt-term/  
OnCo record `sbrt-term` (Term). Data CC BY-NC 4.0, attribute "Data from OnCo (onco.cc)"; commercial use needs a licence.

## TL;DR

A course of one to five large, pinpoint-accurate radiation doses that destroy a tumour outside the brain almost like surgery, for patients who cannot or prefer not to have an operation. It is standard for inoperable early lung cancer and the backbone of oligometastatic treatment; toxicity is mostly to whatever lies within a centimetre of the target.

## Summary

Made possible by image guidance and motion management, SBRT gives local control above 90% for early lung cancer (the standard for inoperable stage I), treats liver, pancreatic, kidney, spine and prostate tumours (5-fraction PACE-B), and is the backbone of oligometastatic treatment, where SABR-COMET showed a survival gain. Ultra-high doses per fraction exploit different radiobiology (vascular damage, immune priming), hence the abscopal-effect trials with checkpoint inhibitors. Toxicity is mostly to whatever lies within a centimetre of the target.

## Fields

- Kind: Term
- Last checked: 2026-09-09
- Also known as: SBRT; SABR; stereotactic ablative radiotherapy; stereotactic body radiation therapy; stereotactic radiotherapy; stereotactic; metastasis-directed therapy

## Sources

- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stereotactic_body_radiation_therapy
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stereotactic_body_radiation_therapy

## Connected records

- terms: [Bone metastases and skeletal-related events](https://onco.cc/terms/bone-metastases/), [Gray unit (Gy)](https://onco.cc/terms/gray-unit/), [Hypofractionation (fewer, larger radiotherapy doses)](https://onco.cc/terms/hypofractionation/), [IMRT / IGRT / VMAT (modern external beam radiotherapy)](https://onco.cc/terms/imrt-term/), [Oligometastatic disease](https://onco.cc/terms/oligometastatic/), [Re-irradiation](https://onco.cc/terms/re-irradiation/), [Stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS)](https://onco.cc/terms/stereotactic-radiosurgery/)
- fronts: [Radiation Therapy](https://onco.cc/fronts/radiation/)
- technologies: [SBRT / SABR (stereotactic radiotherapy)](https://onco.cc/technologies/sbrt/)
- people: [Carl James](https://onco.cc/people/carl-james/), [David A. Palma](https://onco.cc/people/david-palma/)
- cancers: [Borderline resectable pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma](https://onco.cc/cancers/borderline-resectable-pdac/), [Locally advanced unresectable pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma](https://onco.cc/cancers/locally-advanced-pdac/)

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