Box 1.

Common terms associated with the oligometastatic disease state and its treatment

Oligometastatic disease: where a patient has a limited burden of metastases and may benefit from metastasis-directed locally ablative treatments. Synchronous oligometastatic disease: where oligometastatic disease presents at the time of initial diagnosis. Metachronous oligometastatic disease: where oligometastatic recurrence presents at least 3 months after treatment of the initial primary site. Oligorecurrence: a term used interchangeably with metachronous oligometastatic disease. Oligoprogression: where a few lesions progressing on a background of widespread but stable disease. Oligopersistence: persistent metastatic disease after systemic treatment. Stereotactic ablative radiotherapy (SABR): highly focused radiation treatment that gives an intense dose of radiation concentrated on a site of cancer while limiting dose to surrounding organs. Radiofrequency ablation: a treatment that uses heat made by radio waves to kill cancer cells.