Radiosurgery for nonfunctioning pituitary adenoma

2003 ◽  
Vol 14 (5) ◽  
pp. 1-6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jason P. Sheehan ◽  
Douglas Kondziolka ◽  
John Flickinger ◽  
L. Dade Lunsford

Object Nonfunctioning pituitary adenomas comprise approximately 30% of all pituitary tumors. The purpose of this retrospective study was to evaluate the efficacy and role of gamma knife surgery (GKS) in the treatment of these lesions. Methods The authors conducted a review of cases in which GKS was performed at the University of Pittsburgh between 1987 and 2001. Forty-six patients with nonfunctioning pituitary adenomas and with at least 6 months of follow-up data were identified. In 41 of these patients some form of prior treatment such as transsphenoidal resection, craniotomy and resection, or conventional radiation therapy had been conducted. Five patients were deemed ineligible for microsurgery, and GKS served as the primary treatment modality. Endocrinological, ophthalmological, and radiological responses were evaluated. The mean radiation dose to the margin was 16 Gy. In all patients with microadenomas and 91% of those with macroadenomas tumor control was demonstrated after radiosurgery. Gamma knife surgery had essentially equal efficacy in terms of achieving tumor control in cases of adenomas with cavernous sinus invasion and suprasellar extension. No new endocrinopathies were noted following radiosurgery. In two patients, however, tumor growth and decline in visual function occurred. Conclusions Gamma knife surgery is safe and effective in treating nonfunctioning pituitary adenomas. Radiosurgery may serve as a primary treatment modality in some or as a salvage treatment in others. Treatment must be tailored to meet the patient's symptoms, overall health, and tumor morphometry.

2002 ◽  
Vol 97 ◽  
pp. 408-414 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jason P. Sheehan ◽  
Douglas Kondziolka ◽  
John Flickinger ◽  
L. Dade Lunsford

Object. Nonfunctioning pituitary adenomas comprise approximately 30% of all pituitary tumors. The purpose of this retrospective study is to evaluate the efficacy and role of gamma knife radiosurgery (GKS) in the management of residual or recurrent nonfunctioning pituitary adenomas. Methods. A review was conducted of the data obtained in 42 patients who underwent adjuvant GKS at the University of Pittsburgh between 1987 and 2001. Prior treatments included transsphenoidal resection, craniotomy and resection, or conventional radiotherapy. Endocrinological, ophthalmological, and radiological responses were evaluated. The duration of follow-up review varied from 6 to 102 months (mean 31.2 months). Fifteen patients were observed for more than 40 months. The mean radiation dose to the tumor margin was 16 Gy. Conformal radiosurgery planning was used to restrict the dose to the optic nerve and chiasm. Tumor control after GKS was achieved in 100% of patients with microadenomas and 97% of patients with macroadenomas. Gamma knife radiosurgery was equally effective in controlling adenomas with cavernous sinus invasion and suprasellar extension. No patient developed a new endocrinological deficiency following GKS. One patient's tumor enlarged with an associated decline in visual function. Another patient experienced a deterioration of visual fields despite a decrease in tumor size. Conclusions. Gamma knife radiosurgery can achieve tumor control in virtually all residual or recurrent nonfunctioning pituitary adenomas. Dose sparing facilitates tumor management even when the adenoma is close to the optic apparatus or invades the cavernous sinus.


2013 ◽  
Vol 169 (4) ◽  
pp. 487-495 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yong Chen ◽  
Zhi Feng Li ◽  
Fei Xiang Zhang ◽  
Jian Xian Li ◽  
Lin Cai ◽  
...  

ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to scrutinize the literature to determine the efficacy and safety of gamma knife surgery (GKS) for the treatment of nonfunctioning pituitary adenomas (NFPAs) with volumetric classification.MethodsElectronic databases including MedLine, PubMed, and Cochrane Central were searched. The literature related to patients with NFPAs treated with GKS was collected. Eligible studies reported on the rate of tumor control (RTC), the rate of radiosurgery-induced optic neuropathy injury (RRIONI), the rate of radiosurgery-induced endocrinological deficits (RRIED), and other parameters.ResultsA total of 17 studies met the criteria. Based on the tumor volume, NFPAs were divided into three groups: the RTC of group I (93 patients) with tumor volumes <2 ml was 99% (95% CI 96–100%), the RRIONI was 1% (95% CI 0–4%), and the RRIED was 1% (95% CI 0–4%). The RTC of group II (301 patients) with volumes from 2 to 4 ml was 96% (95% CI 92–99%), the RRIONI was 0 (95% CI 0–2%), and RRIED was 7% (95% CI 2–14%). The RTC of group III (531 patients) with volumes larger than 4 ml was 91% (95% CI 89–94%), the RRIONI was 2% (95% CI 0–5%), and the RRIED was 22% (95% CI 14–31%). There were significant differences in the RTC and in the RRIED among the three groups (P<0.001), indicating that there were higher RRIED and lower RTC with the increase of tumor volume.ConclusionsNFPAs, according to tumor volume classification, need stratification for GKS treatment. GKS is the optimal choice for the treatment of group II NFPAs. Patients with residual tumor volumes of <4 ml will benefit most from GKS treatment.


2006 ◽  
Vol 105 (Supplement) ◽  
pp. 26-30 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mooseong Kim ◽  
Sunghwa Paeng ◽  
Seyoung Pyo ◽  
Yeonggyun Jeong ◽  
Sunil Lee ◽  
...  

ObjectPituitary adenomas have been treated using a variety of modalities including resection, medication, fractionated radiotherapy, and stereotactic radiosurgery. The policy has been that all adenomas should first be treated with resection to reduce the volume of the tumor. The authors' study was conducted to determine the efficacy of using Gamma Knife surgery (GKS) for pituitary adenomas invading the cavernous sinus.MethodsOf 397 patients with pituitary tumors who underwent GKS between October 1994 and October 2005, 68 patients had pituitary macroadenomas invading the cavernous sinus. Sixty-seven cases were available for follow up. The mean age of the patients in these cases was 42.8 years (range 14–73 years). The male/female ratio was 0.8:1. The mean adenoma volume was 9.3 cm3. A total of 24 patients had undergone craniotomies and resection, and 11 patients had undergone transsphenoidal surgery prior to GKS. The mean follow-up period was 32.8 months. Tumor control was defined as a decrease or no change in tumor volume after GKS. Endocrinological improvement was defined as a decline in hormone levels to below 50% of the pre-GKS level.Tumor control was achieved in 95.5% of the cases. Endocrinological improvement was achieved in 68% of 25 patients. One patient suffered hypopituitarism after GKS.Conclusions Gamma Knife surgery is a safe and effective treatment for invasive pituitary macroadenoma with few complications.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yanli Li ◽  
Lisha Wu ◽  
Tingting Quan ◽  
Junyi Fu ◽  
Linhui Cao ◽  
...  

ObjectiveThis study aimed to report the characteristic of tumor regrowth after gamma knife radiosurgery (GKRS) and outcomes of repeat GKRS in nonfunctioning pituitary adenomas (NFPAs).Design and MethodsThis retrospective study consisted of 369 NFPA patients treated with GKRS. The median age was 45.2 (range, 7.2–84.0) years. The median tumor volume was 3.5 (range, 0.1–44.3) cm3.ResultsTwenty-four patients (6.5%) were confirmed as regrowth after GKRS. The regrowth-free survivals were 100%, 98%, 97%, 86% and 77% at 1, 3, 5, 10 and 15 year, respectively. In multivariate analysis, parasellar invasion and margin dose (&lt;12 Gy) were associated with tumor regrowth (hazard ratio [HR] = 3.125, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.318–7.410, p = 0.010 and HR = 3.359, 95% CI = 1.347–8.379, p = 0.009, respectively). The median time of regrowth was 86.1 (range, 23.2–236.0) months. Previous surgery was associated with tumor regrowth out of field (p = 0.033). Twelve patients underwent repeat GKRS, including regrowth in (n = 8) and out of field (n = 4). Tumor shrunk in seven patients (58.3%), remained stable in one (8.3%) and regrowth in four (33.3%) with a median repeat GKRS margin dose of 12 (range, 10.0–14.0) Gy. The actuarial tumor control rates were 100%, 90%, 90%, 68%, and 68% at 1, 3, 5, 10, and 15 years after repeat GKRS, respectively.ConclusionsParasellar invasion and tumor margin dose (&lt;12 Gy) were independent risk factors for tumor regrowth after GKRS. Repeat GKRS might be effective on tumor control for selected patients. For regrowth in field due to relatively insufficient radiation dose, repeat GKRS might offer satisfactory tumor control. For regrowth out of field, preventing regrowth out of field was the key management. Sufficient target coverage and close follow-up might be helpful.


2019 ◽  
Vol 21 (Supplement_3) ◽  
pp. iii26-iii26
Author(s):  
R M Emad Eldin ◽  
A M El-Shehaby ◽  
K Abdel Karim ◽  
W A Reda ◽  
A Nabeel ◽  
...  

Abstract BACKGROUND Trigeminal schwannomas are a rare form of intracranial schwannomas. They can occur anywhere along the track of the trigeminal nerve, including the middle, posterior fossa or both. It can even extend extracranially. The variability of its location and extent, in addition to its close proximity to critical neurovascular structures makes surgical intervention challenging. Taking from the success of treating vestibular schwannomas with stereotactic radiosurgery, it has been used as an alternative to surgery for the treatment of trigeminal schwannomas. Because these tumors are rare more clinical evidence is required to assess the response of these tumors to stereotactic radiosurgery.The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and complications associated with treatment of the trigeminal schwannomas by gamma knife radiosurgery. MATERIAL AND METHODS The study included 51 patients with trigeminal schwannomas not associated with NF2, treated by Leksell gamma knife. There were 25 males and 26 females. The mean age at presentation was 43 years. The patients underwent a total of 58 gamma knife sessions (44 single and 7 volume-staged sessions). Eight patients had previous surgery. The tumor nature was solid in 46, cystic in 3 and mixed in 2 patients. The mean target volume was 8.5 cc (0.6–30.7 cc) with the mean overall tumor volume being 9.6 cc (0.6–31.1 cc). The mean prescription dose was 12 Gy. RESULTS The mean follow up was 57 months (12–152 months). The tumor shrank in 23 (45%) patients and remained stable in 25 (49%). Tumor progressions occurred in 3 (6%) patients. The tumor control rate was 92%. The progression-free survival at 5,7 and 10 years was 95%, 88% and 79%, respectively. Clinical improvement occurred in 27 (53%) patients and was significantly associated with tumor shrinkage (p 0.03). Twenty patients (39%) remained clinically unchanged. Adverse radiation events occurred in 7 patients and were significantly associated with target and overall tumor volume (p 0.028 and 0.004). CONCLUSION Gamma knife radiosurgery appears to be an effective and safe adjuvant and primary treatment modality for trigeminal schwannomas. Large tumors should be debulked first before radiosurgery, when feasible.


2006 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. E17 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Webster Crowley ◽  
Nader Pouratian ◽  
Jason P. Sheehan

✓ Despite the implementation of increasingly aggressive surgery, chemotherapy, and fractionated radiotherapy for the treatment of glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), most therapeutic regimens have resulted in only modest improvements in patient survival. Gamma knife surgery (GKS) has become an indispensable tool in the primary and adjuvant management of many intracranial pathologies, including meningiomas, pituitary tumors, and arteriovenous malformations. Although it would seem that radiosurgical techniques, which produce steep radiation dose fall-off around the target, would not be well suited to treat these infiltrative lesions, a limited number of institutional series suggest that GKS might provide a survival benefit when used as part of the comprehensive management of GBM. This may largely be attributed to the observation that tumors typically recur within a 2-cm margin of the tumor resection cavity. Despite these encouraging results, enthusiasm for radiosurgery as a primary treatment for GBM is significantly tempered by the failure of the only randomized trial that has been conducted to yield any benefit for patients with GBM who were treated with radiosurgery. In this paper, the authors review the pathophysiological mechanisms of GKS and its applications for GBM management.


2010 ◽  
Vol 113 (Special_Supplement) ◽  
pp. 153-159 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guenther Christian Feigl ◽  
Karin Pistracher ◽  
Andrea Berghold ◽  
Michael Mokry

Object Causes of pituitary insufficiencies as a side effect of Gamma Knife surgery (GKS) following irradiation of the hypothalamopituitary axis are still under debate. In an investigation of pituitary insufficiencies after GKS, the authors' main focus is on what role can be attributed to the hypothalamus with regard to endocrinological changes in hypothalamopituitary function following GKS. Methods A total of 108 patients consecutively treated between April 1992 and July 2003 were included in this retrospective study. All patients had undergone either transsphenoidal or transcranial surgery prior to GKS. The spot dosimetry method was used to determine doses delivered to structures of the hypothalamopituitary axis. For statistical analyses, endocrine insufficiency and deterioration in pituitary function were defined as a decrease in hormonal blood levels below the normal range for 1 or more anterior pituitary lobe hormones. Additionally, an analysis of the rate of patients requiring hormone replacement therapy after GKS due to new endocrinopathies was performed. Results Complete patient records of 61 male and 47 female patients with a mean age of 51.9 years (range 9.1–81.2 years) were available for our investigation. The overall tumor control rate was 97% and the endocrinological cure rate was 61.2%. Mean treatment doses in patients with and without new endocrine insufficiencies (shown as with/without insufficiencies and followed by probability values) were as follows: 1.3/0.8 Gy to the hypothalamus (p = 0.2); 2.2/1.6 Gy to the median eminence (p = 0.1); 6.5/4.1 Gy to the pituitary stalk (p = 0.004); and 12.4/9.5 Gy to the pituitary gland (p = 0.05). The median overall duration of follow-up after GKS was 6.7 years, with 84 patients (77.7%) whose follow-up was longer than 12 months. The median follow-up time after GKS in patients who developed a new pituitary dysfunction was 79.5 months (6.6 years, SD 3.8 years), and the median follow-up time in patients with no new insufficiencies was 78.4 months (6.5 years, SD 4 years). Conclusions Gamma Knife surgery is a safe and effective treatment for patients with residual and recurrent pituitary adenomas. The rate of pituitary insufficiencies after GKS is still lower than that after conventional radiotherapy. Very low radiation doses are directed to the hypothalamus, and thus this structure does not play a major role in the development of pituitary insufficiencies after GKS. The results of this study show that patients in whom the pituitary stalk and pituitary gland receive a high mean point dose are more likely to develop pituitary insufficiencies after GKS than those who receive a lower dose.


2014 ◽  
Vol 120 (3) ◽  
pp. 647-654 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cheng-Chia Lee ◽  
Hideyuki Kano ◽  
Huai-Che Yang ◽  
Zhiyuan Xu ◽  
Chun-Po Yen ◽  
...  

Object Nonfunctioning pituitary adenomas (NFAs) are the most common type of pituitary adenoma and, when symptomatic, typically require surgical removal as an initial means of management. Gamma Knife radiosurgery (GKRS) is an alternative therapeutic strategy for patients whose comorbidities substantially increase the risks of resection. In this report, the authors evaluated the efficacy and safety of initial GKRS for NFAs. Methods An international group of three academic Gamma Knife centers retrospectively reviewed outcome data in 569 patients with NFAs. Results Forty-one patients (7.2%) underwent GKRS as primary management for their NFAs because of an advanced age, multiple comorbidities, or patient preference. The median age at the time of radiosurgery was 69 years. Thirty-seven percent of the patients had hypopituitarism before GKRS. Patients received a median tumor margin dose of 12 Gy (range 6.2–25.0 Gy) at a median isodose of 50%. The overall tumor control rate was 92.7%, and the actuarial tumor control rate was 94% and 85% at 5 and 10 years postradiosurgery, respectively. Three patients with tumor growth or symptom progression underwent resection at 3, 3, and 96 months after GKRS, respectively. New or worsened hypopituitarism developed in 10 patients (24%) at a median interval of 37 months after GKRS. One patient suffered new-onset cranial nerve palsy. No other radiosurgical complications were noted. Delayed hypopituitarism was observed more often in patients who had received a tumor margin dose > 18 Gy (p = 0.038) and a maximum dose > 36 Gy (p = 0.025). Conclusions In this study, GKRS resulted in long-term control of NFAs in 85% of patients at 10 years. This experience suggests that GKRS provides long-term tumor control with an acceptable risk profile. This approach may be especially valuable in older patients, those with multiple comorbidities, and those who have endocrine-inactive tumors without visual compromise due to mass effect of the adenoma.


Cancers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (19) ◽  
pp. 4998
Author(s):  
Luigi Albano ◽  
Marco Losa ◽  
Lina Raffaella Barzaghi ◽  
Ajay Niranjan ◽  
Zaid Siddiqui ◽  
...  

To describe and evaluate outcomes of Gamma Knife radiosurgery (GK) for the treatment of pituitary tumors over the past twenty years, a systematic review and meta-analysis according to PRISMA statement was performed. Articles counting more than 30 patients were included. A weighted random effects models was used to calculate pooled outcome estimates. From 459 abstract reviews, 52 retrospective studies were included. Among them, 18 reported on non-functioning pituitary adenomas (NFPA), 13 on growth hormone (GH)-secreting adenomas, six on adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH)-secreting adenomas, four on prolactin hormone (PRL)-secreting adenomas, and 11 on craniopharyngiomas. Overall tumor control and five-year progression free survival (PFS) estimate after one GK procedure for NFPA was 93% (95% CI 89–97%) and 95% (95% CI 91–99%), respectively. In case of secreting pituitary adenomas, overall remission (cure without need for medication) estimates were 45% (95% CI 35–54%) for GH-secreting adenomas, 64% (95% CI 0.52–0.75%) for ACTH-secreting adenomas and 34% (95% CI: 19–48%) for PRL-secreting adenomas. The pooled analysis for overall tumor control and five-year PFS estimate after GK for craniopharyngioma was 74% (95% CI 67–81%) and 70% (95% CI: 64–76%), respectively. This meta-analysis confirms and quantifies safety and effectiveness of GK for pituitary tumors.


2006 ◽  
Vol 105 (Supplement) ◽  
pp. 18-25 ◽  
Author(s):  
Petter Förander ◽  
Tiit Rähn ◽  
Lars Kihlström ◽  
Elfar Ulfarsson ◽  
Tiit Mathiesen

ObjectIntracranial chondrosarcomas have a high risk of recurrence after surgery. This retrospective study of patients with intracranial chondrosarcoma was conducted to determine the long-term results of microsurgery followed by Gamma Knife surgery (GKS) for residual tumor or recurrence.MethodsThe authors treated nine patients whose median age was 36 years. Seven patients had low-grade chondrosarcomas (LGCSs), whereas mesenchymal chondrosarcomas (MCSs) were diagnosed in two. Radiosurgery was performed in eight patients, whereas one patient declined further surgical intervention and tumor-volume reduction necessary for the GKS.The patients were followed up for 15 to 173 months (median 108 months) after diagnosis and 3 to 166 months (median 88 months) after GKS. Seven patients had residual tumor tissue after microsurgery, and two operations appeared radical. In the two latter cases, tumors recurred after 25 and 45 months. Thus, definite tumor control was not achieved after surgery alone in any patient, whereas the addition of radiosurgery allowed tumor control in all six patients with LGCSs. Two of these patients experienced an initial tumor regrowth after GKS; in both cases the recurrences were outside the prescribed radiation field. The patients underwent repeated GKS, and subsequent tumor control was observed. An MCS was diagnosed in the remaining two patients. Complications after microsurgery included diplopia, facial numbness, and paresis. After GKS, one patient had radiation necrosis, which required microsurgery, and two patients had new cranial nerve palsies.Conclusions Tumor control after microsurgery alone was not achieved in any patient, whereas adjuvant radiosurgery provided local tumor control in six of eight GKS-treated patients. Tumor control was not achieved in the two patients with MCS. Similar to other treatments for intracranial chondrosarcoma, morbidity after micro- and radiosurgical combination therapy was high and included severe cranial nerve palsies.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document