Clinical Research Directory

Inclusion Criteria: * The primary lesion pre-operatively can have a maximum diameter of =\< 4 cm for single fraction and =\< 7 cm for multifraction therapy * Patients must be considered candidates for SRS within +/- 30 days of surgical resection as defined by either history and physical (H\&P) or presentation at brain metastasis tumor board conference note * Patients must have a Karnofsky performance scores \>= 70 or Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) \>= 2 within 30 days of enrollment * Patients must agree to randomization as documented by signing the Institutional Review Board (IRB) approved consent form * No radiographic evidence of leptomeningeal disease on MD Anderson Cancer Center (MDACC) departmental radiology report or study neuro-radiologist review * Documented history of malignancy Exclusion Criteria: * Patients who have received prior radiation therapy to the brain for any reason * The primary tumor is small-cell lung cancer, lymphoma, leukemia, or multiple myeloma * For females, if they are pregnant or breast-feeding (The exclusion is made because gadolinium may be teratogenic in pregnancy)