Single fraction and multisession Gamma Knife radiosurgery for craniopharyngioma.

PURPOSE: The optimal management of residual or recurring craniopharyngioma is still a matter of debate even though adjuvant radiation therapy plays a crucial role. Aim of our study is to report the results of single fraction or multisession Gamma Knife radiosurgery (GKRS) in patients with craniopharyngioma. METHODS: We included 50 consecutive patients treated from 1994 to 2016. All patients had at least one post GKRS magnetic resonance imaging reviewed at our center. Vital status of all patients was assessed at the end of 2016. RESULTS: There were 29 males (58.0%) and 21 females (42.0%). Mean age was 41.5 ± 2.8 year. Single session GKRS was delivered in 29 patients (58.0%). The mean tumor volume was 2.15 ± 0.3 cm3 and the mean prescription dose to the tumor margin was 14.3 ± 0.3 Gy. During a mean follow-up of 74.6 ± 8.4 months, seven patients (14.0%) had recurrence of disease. The 5- and 10-year recurrence-free survivals were 90.3% (95% CI, 81.0-99.6%) and 78.4% (95% CI, 59.9-96.9%), respectively. Multisession GKRS was not less effective than single fraction GKRS. Eighteen of the 28 patients (64.3%) had a tumor volume decrease of at least 10%. No serious side effects occurred after GKRS treatment, except for one case of mild visual worsening. CONCLUSIONS: GKRS was effective for controlling the growth of residual or recurrent craniopharyngioma. Serious side effects were uncommon. Multisession GKRS seems a very promising tool to allow performing GKRS even in patients with large residual or recurrent craniopharyngioma.

The role of stereotactic radiotherapy in patients with growth hormone-secreting pituitary adenoma.

CONTEXT: Single-session stereotactic radiotherapy (SR) may be a potential adjuvant treatment in acromegaly. OBJECTIVE: We analyzed the safety and efficacy of SR in patients who had previously received maximal surgical debulking at our center. DESIGN: The study was a retrospective analysis of hormonal, radiological, and ophthalmologic data collected in a predefined protocol from 1994 through 2006. SETTING: The study was performed at a university hospital. PATIENTS: Eighty-three acromegalic patients, 52 women and 31 men, with a mean age of 42.6 +/- 1.2 yr, participated in the study. The median follow-up was 69 months (interquartile range 44-107 months). INTERVENTION: The patients were treated with SR for residual or recurrent GH-secreting adenoma. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Normalization of age- and sex-adjusted IGF-I levels together with a basal GH level below 2.5 microg/liter without concomitant GH-suppressive drugs was the goal of therapy. RESULTS: Fifty patients (60.2%) reached the main outcome of the study. The rate of remission was 52.6% at 5 yr [95% confidence interval (CI) 40.6-64.6%]. Another 13 patients (15.7%), who were resistant to somatostatin analogs, were in remission after SR. Multivariate analysis showed that low basal GH and IGF-I levels were associated with a favorable outcome. No serious side effects occurred after SR. The 5-yr cumulative risk of new onset hypogonadism, hypothyroidism, or hypoadrenalism was 3.6% (95% CI 0-8.6%), 3.3% (95% CI 0-7.7%), and 4.9% (95% CI 0-10.4%), respectively. CONCLUSION: In a highly selected group of acromegalic patients, SR treatment had good efficacy and safety. This may lead to reconsider the role of SR in the therapeutic algorithm of acromegaly.

Stereotactic drainage and Gamma Knife radiosurgery of cystic brain metastasis.

OBJECT: Treatment options for patients with brain metastasis include tumor resection, whole-brain radiation therapy, and radiosurgery. A single treatment is not useful in cases of multiple tumors, of which at least 1 is a cystic tumor. The purpose of this study was to assess the role of stereotactic drainage and Gamma Knife surgery (GKS) in the treatment of cystic brain metastasis. METHODS: Between January 2001 and November 2005, 680 consecutive patients with brain metastases underwent GKS at our hospital, 30 of whom were included in this study (18 males and 12 females, mean age 60.6 +/- 11 years, range 38-75 years). Inclusion criteria were: 1) no prior whole-brain radiation therapy or resection procedure; 2) a maximum of 4 lesions on preoperative MR imaging; 3) at least 1 cystic lesion; 4) a Karnofsky Performance Scale score >or= 70; and 5) histological diagnosis of a malignant tumor. RESULTS: Non-small cell lung carcinoma was the primary cancer in most patients (19 patients [63.3%]). A single metastasis was present in 13 patients (43.3%). There was a total of 81 tumors, 33 of which were cystic. Ten patients (33.3%) were in recursive partitioning analysis Class I, and 20 (66.6%) were in Class II. Before drainage the mean tumor volume was 21.8 ml (range 3.8-68 ml); before GKS the mean tumor volume was 10.1 ml (range 1.2-32 ml). The mean prescription dose to the tumor margin was 19.5 Gy (range 12-25 Gy). Overall median patient survival was 15 months. The 1- and 2-year survival rates were 54.7% (95% confidence interval 45.3-64.1%) and 34.2% (95% confidence interval 23.1-45.3%). Local tumor control was achieved in 91.3% of the patients. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study support the use of a multiple stereotactic approach in cases of multiple and cystic brain metastasis.

Neuroophthalmological evaluation after Gamma Knife surgery for cavernous sinus meningiomas.

OBJECT: Treatment options for patients with cavernous sinus meningiomas (CSMs) include microsurgical tumor resection, radiotherapy, and radiosurgery. Gamma Knife surgery (GKS) is increasingly being used because it is associated with lower mortality and morbidity rates than microsurgery. The purpose of this study was to assess the role of GKS in the treatment of CSM and to thoroughly analyze the clinical response to GKS. METHODS: Between January 2001 and December 2005, 123 patients (25 men and 98 women; mean age 62.6 +/- 11 years, range 31-86 years) who underwent treatment for CSMs were included in this study. Of these, 41 patients underwent microsurgery before GKS, whereas the remaining 82 had GKS as a first-line therapy after a diagnosis was made based on magnetic resonance imaging findings. Dysfunction in cranial nerves (CNs) II, III, IV, V, and VI was noted in 74 patients at the time of GKS. The mean tumor volume was 7.99 cm(3) (0.7-30.5 cm(3)). The mean prescription dose to the tumor margin was 13.8 +/- 1.1 Gy (range 10-20 Gy). RESULTS: The overall tumor control rate was 98.4% with a median follow-up of 36 months. The actuarial tumor control rate at 5 years was 90.5%. A reduction in tumor volume was observed in 53 patients (43.1%), whereas in 68 patients (55.3%) no volumetric variation was recorded. Of the 74 patients who presented with CN deficits, improvement was noted in 23 (31.1%). CONCLUSIONS: Gamma Knife surgery is a useful treatment for CSM both as a first- or second-line therapy. It is a safe and effective treatment for tumors located close to the optic pathways.

Surgical treatment of prolactin-secreting pituitary adenomas: early results and long-term outcome.

Medical therapy with dopaminergic drugs is the preferred initial treatment for symptomatic prolactin (PRL)-secreting adenomas; but in recent years, there has been a renewed interest in surgery. The aim of this study is to report a large series of patients operated for prolactinoma in the last 10 yr. A total of 120 consecutive patients (93 female, 27 male) underwent surgery from January 1990 to December 1999. Their mean age at surgery was 29.7 +/- 0.9 yr. Fifty-nine patients (49.2%) had a microadenoma, and the remaining 61 (50.8%) had a macroadenoma, of which 24 (20%) were intrasellar and 37 (30.8%) were extrasellar adenoma. Magnetic resonance imaging signs of invasion of the cavernous sinus were detected in 18 patients (15.0%). Thirty-one patients (25.8%) had never been treated before, whereas the remaining 89 (74.2%) had received dopaminergic drugs. After surgery, normalization of PRL levels occurred in 77 patients (64.2%). Logistic regression analysis showed that the only predictive factor of unsuccessful surgery was a high preoperative PRL level. Recurrence of hyperprolactinemia occurred in 13 of the 77 cured patients (16.9%) during a mean follow-up of 50.2 +/- 3.0 months; the 5-yr disease-free survival was 75.9%. Extrasellar extension of the tumor and presence of a postoperative PRL response to TRH were associated with a lower risk of relapse. In summary, surgery normalized PRL levels and relieved symptoms of hyperprolactinemia in most patients. Recurrence of hyperprolactinemia occurred within 4 yr after surgery. Transsphenoidal surgery can be offered as a definitive therapy, especially to patients with intrasellar tumors.