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The
Evolving Role of Stereotactic Radiosurgery for Patients with Skull Base Tumors
Bruce E. Pollock, Robert L. Foote
Department
of Neurological Surgery; Division of Radiation Oncology, Mayo Clinic College of
Medicine, 200 First Street SW, Rochester, MN 55905, USA; Tel.: +1-507-284-5317;
Fax: +1-507-284-5204; E-mail: pollock.bruce@mayo.edu
[B.E.P.]. Division of Radiation Oncology, Mayo Clinic College of
Medicine, Rochester, MN, USA [R.L.F.].
Tumors
located at the base of the skull are among the most difficult problems that
neurosurgeons encounter.
Management of patients with skull base tumors must take into account that
complete tumor removal is not possible with acceptable morbidity in many
patients.
Therefore, radiation therapy and stereotactic radiosurgery are commonly
performed.
The use of radiosurgery for patients with skull base tumors has increased
significantly over the past three decades and we now possess a better
understanding of the expectations of skull base radiosurgery.
For properly selected patients with benign tumours (meningiomas, schwannomas,
glomus tumors), tumor control rates between 90 and 100% have been
reported.
Local control rates for chordomas and chondrosarcomas have ranged from 50 to
70%, but tumor growth adjacent to the treated area (marginal failure) remains a
significant problem.
Radiosurgery is also commonly performed for patients with malignant skull base
tumors as a palliative treatment and symptom relief is common, especially for
patients with facial pain related to their tumor.
Follow-up beyond 10 years is still needed to better define long-term results of
radiosurgery and the incidence of radiation-induced neoplasms after
radiosurgery.
Keywords: glomus
tumor, meningioma, radiosurgery, schwannoma
Copyright
©
2004 Kluwer Academic Publishers.
All rights reserved
Source: http://ipsapp007.kluweronline.com/IPS/content/ext/x/J/5042/I/124/A/16/abstract.htm
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