In a 1995 editorial, Samuel Hellman and Ralph R. Weichselbaum introduced the concept of ‘oligometastatic disease’ (OMD), proposing that there may be intermediate stages between localized cancer and widespread metastasis.
1 They suggested that metastases, when limited in number and confined to specific locations, could be effectively treated with curative local therapeutic strategies. ‘De novo’ OMD refers to the presence of oligometastases without any prior history of widespread metastatic disease, whereas ‘induced’ OMD arises after a history of metastatic disease that has been treated with chemotherapy.
2 Stereotactic ablative radiotherapy (SABR), radiofrequency ablation (RFA), microwave ablation (MWA), cryoablation, and surgical metastasectomy have shown promise in targeting these limited metastases. …