Radiotherapy Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Radiotherapy, including details on cancer treatment, side effects.

The use of stereotactic radiosurgery in the management of meningiomas.

Malik I, Rowe JG, Walton L, Radatz MW, Kemeny AA

National Centre for Stereotactic Radiosurgery, Royal Hallamshire Hospital, Sheffield, UK.

This is a systematic review of a consecutive series of 309 meningiomas treated with gamma knife stereotactic radiosurgery between 1994 and 2000. There was an extreme selection bias towards lesions unfavourable for surgery, determined by the patients referred for treatment: 70% of tumours involved the skull base, 47% specifically the cavernous sinus: 15% of patients had multiple meningiomatosis or type 2 neurofibromatosis. Tumour histology was the main determinant of growth control (p < 0.001), the 5-year actuarial control rates being 87% for typical meningiomas, 49% for atypical tumours and 0% for malignant lesions. Complications from radiosurgery were rare, occurring in 3% of tumours, and were most frequently trigeminal and eye movement disturbances treating cavernous sinus meningiomas. Given the problems inherent in managing these tumours, radiosurgery is a valuable strategy and adjuvant treatment for these meningiomas.

Published 8 September 2005 in Br J Neurosurg, 19(1): 13-20.
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