Comparing Whole Brain Radiotherapy Using a Technique That Avoids the Hippocampus to Stereotactic Radiosurgery in Patients With Cancer That Has Spread to the Brain and Come Back in Other Areas of the Brain After Earlier Stereotactic Radiosurgery

Inclusion Criteria: * Patients must have developed their distant brain relapse(s) at least 8 weeks after last SRS and within 21 days prior to randomization * Distant brain relapse lesions to be treated must measure =\< 3.0 cm in maximal extent and total volume of distant brain relapses to be treated must measure \< 30 mL on the contrast-enhanced diagnostic MRI brain scan obtained within 21 days prior to randomization * "last SRS" refers to the most recent SRS procedure that the patient received prior to enrollment on this study * Distant brain relapse lesions must be diagnosed on MRI, which will include the following elements: * REQUIRED MRI ELEMENTS * Post gadolinium contrast-enhanced T1-weighted three-dimensional (3D) spoiled gradient (SPGR). Acceptable 3D SPGR sequences include magnetization-prepared 3D gradient recalled echo (GRE) rapid gradient echo (MP-RAGE), turbo field echo (TFE) MRI, BRAVO (brain volume imaging) or 3D fast FE (field echo). The T1-weighted 3D scan should use the smallest possible axial slice thickness, not to exceed 1.5 mm * Pre-contrast T1 weighted imaging (3D imaging sequence strongly encouraged) * A minimum of one axial T2 fluid attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) (preferred) or T2 sequence is required. This can be acquired as a 2D or 3D image. If 2D, the images should be obtained in the axial plane * ADDITIONAL RECOMMENDATIONS * Recommendation is that an axial T2 FLAIR (preferred) sequence be performed …