Gamma knife radiosurgery for uveal melanomas: an 8-year experience

2000 ◽  
Vol 93 (supplement_3) ◽  
pp. 184-188 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gerald Langmann ◽  
Gerhard Pendl ◽  
Georg Papaefthymiou ◽  
Helmuth Guss ◽  

Object. The authors report their experience using gamma knife radiosurgery (GKS) to treat uveal melanomas. Methods. Between 1992 and 1998, 60 patients were treated with GKS at a prescription dose between 45 Gy and 80 Gy. The mean diameter of the tumor base was 12.2 mm (range 3–22 mm). The mean height of the tumor prominence was 6.7 mm (range 3–12 mm). The eye was immobilized. The follow-up period ranged from 16 to 94 months. Tumor regression was achieved in 56 (93%) of 60 patients. There were four recurrences followed by enucleation. The severe side effect of neovascular glaucoma developed in 21 (35%) patients in a high-dose group with larger tumors and in proximity to the ciliary body. A reduction in the prescription dose to 40 Gy or less and excluding treatment to tumors near the ciliary body decreased the rate of glaucoma without affecting the rate of tumor control. Conclusions. Gamma knife radiosurgery at a prescription dose of 45 Gy or more can achieve tumor regression in 85% of the uveal melanomas treated. Neovascular glaucoma can develop in patients when using this dose in tumors near the ciliary body. It is advised that such tumors be avoided and that the prescription dose be reduced to 40 Gy.

2002 ◽  
Vol 97 ◽  
pp. 640-643 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gerald Langmann ◽  
Gerhard Pendl ◽  
Klaus Müllner ◽  
K. H. Feichtinger ◽  
Georg Papaefthymiouaf

Object. The authors compared the results of gamma knife radiosurgery in patients with uveal melanoma who underwent high-dose (treated from 1992–1995) and low-dose irradiation (treated from 1996–2002). Methods. Thirty-one patients with uveal melanomas were treated with a mean margin dose of 52.1 Gy (high dose) and 33 with a mean dose of 41.5 Gy (low dose), and results were compared between groups. The technical procedure was the same in each group except for radiation dose. In the low-dose group, complete tumor regression (scar formation) occurred in 12% and in the high-dose group in 26%. Partial regression (reduction of the tumor prominence between 50 and 80%) occurred in 81% of the low-dose group and in 58% of the high-dose group. Neovascular glaucoma as a severe complication developed in 9% of the low-dose group and in 48% of the high-dose group. Conclusions. Reduction of the margin dose from 52.1 to 41.5 Gy appears to achieve the same rate of tumor regression but is associated with a lower rate of severe side effects such as neovascular glaucoma. The follow-up period in the lowdose group, however, was much shorter.


2000 ◽  
Vol 93 (supplement_3) ◽  
pp. 68-73 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pierre-Hugues Roche ◽  
Jean Régis ◽  
Henry Dufour ◽  
Henri-Dominique Fournier ◽  
Christine Delsanti ◽  
...  

Object. The authors sought to assess the functional tolerance and tumor control rate of cavernous sinus meningiomas treated by gamma knife radiosurgery (GKS). Methods. Between July 1992 and October 1998, 92 patients harboring benign cavernous sinus meningiomas underwent GKS. The present study is concerned with the first 80 consecutive patients (63 women and 17 men). Gamma knife radiosurgery was performed as an alternative to surgical removal in 50 cases and as an adjuvant to microsurgery in 30 cases. The mean patient age was 49 years (range 6–71 years). The mean tumor volume was 5.8 cm3 (range 0.9–18.6 cm3). On magnetic resonance (MR) imaging the tumor was confined in 66 cases and extensive in 14 cases. The mean prescription dose was 28 Gy (range 12–50 Gy), delivered with an average of eight isocenters (range two–18). The median peripheral isodose was 50% (range 30–70%). Patients were evaluated at 6 months, and at 1, 2, 3, 5, and 7 years after GKS. The median follow-up period was 30.5 months (range 12–79 months). Tumor stabilization after GKS was noted in 51 patients, tumor shrinkage in 25 patients, and enlargement in four patients requiring surgical removal in two cases. The 5-year actuarial progression-free survival was 92.8%. No new oculomotor deficit was observed. Among the 54 patients with oculomotor nerve deficits, 15 improved, eight recovered, and one worsened. Among the 13 patients with trigeminal neuralgia, one worsened (contemporary of tumor growing), five remained unchanged, four improved, and three recovered. In a patient with a remnant surrounding the optic nerve and preoperative low vision (3/10) the decision was to treat the lesion and deliberately sacrifice the residual visual acuity. Only one transient unexpected optic neuropathy has been observed. One case of delayed intracavernous carotid artery occlusion occurred 3 months after GKS, without permanent deficit. Another patient presented with partial complex seizures 18 months after GKS. All cases of tumor growth and neurological deficits observed after GKS occurred before the use of GammaPlan. Since the initiation of systematic use of stereotactic MR imaging and computer-assisted modern dose planning, no more side effects or cases of tumor growth have occurred. Conclusions. Gamma knife radiosurgery was found to be an effective low morbidity—related tool for the treatment of cavernous sinus meningioma. In a significant number of patients, oculomotor functional restoration was observed. The treatment appears to be an alternative to surgical removal of confined enclosed cavernous sinus meningioma and should be proposed as an adjuvant to surgery in case of extensive meningiomas.


2000 ◽  
Vol 93 (supplement_3) ◽  
pp. 47-56 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wen-Yuh Chung ◽  
David Hung-Chi Pan ◽  
Cheng-Ying Shiau ◽  
Wan-Yuo Guo ◽  
Ling-Wei Wang

Object. The goal of this study was to elucidate the role of gamma knife radiosurgery (GKS) and adjuvant stereotactic procedures by assessing the outcome of 31 consecutive patients harboring craniopharyngiomas treated between March 1993 and December 1999. Methods. There were 31 consecutive patients with craniopharyngiomas: 18 were men and 13 were women. The mean age was 32 years (range 3–69 years). The mean tumor volume was 9 cm3 (range 0.3–28 cm3). The prescription dose to the tumor margin varied from 9.5 to 16 Gy. The visual pathways received 8 Gy or less. Three patients underwent stereotactic aspiration to decompress the cystic component before GKS. The tumor response was classified by percentage reduction of tumor volume as calculated based on magnetic resonance imaging studies. Clinical outcome was evaluated according to improvement and dependence on replacement therapy. An initial postoperative volume increase with enlargement of a cystic component was found in three patients. They were treated by adjuvant stereotactic aspiration and/or Ommaya reservoir implantation. Tumor control was achieved in 87% of patients and 84% had fair to excellent clinical outcome in an average follow-up period of 36 months. Treatment failure due to uncontrolled tumor progression was seen in four patients at 26, 33, 49, and 55 months, respectively, after GKS. Only one patient was found to have a mildly restricted visual field; no additional endocrinological impairment or neurological deterioration could be attributed to the treatment. There was no treatment-related mortality. Conclusions. Multimodality management of patients with craniopharyngiomas seemed to provide a better quality of patient survival and greater long-term tumor control. It is suggested that GKS accompanied by adjuvant stereotactic procedures should be used as an alternative in treating recurrent or residual craniopharyngiomas if further microsurgical excision cannot promise a cure.


2005 ◽  
Vol 102 ◽  
pp. 225-229 ◽  
Author(s):  
En-Min Wang ◽  
Li Pan ◽  
Bing-Jiang Wang ◽  
Nan Zhang ◽  
Liang-Fu Zhou ◽  
...  

Object. The authors assessed the long-term result of gamma knife surgery (GKS) for hemangioblastomas of the brain (HABs) and show histopathological findings after GKS. Methods. Thirty-five patients, 28 men and seven women, with a mean age of 36 years underwent GKS. Eighteen patients presented with multiple tumors and 17 with a solitary tumor. Twenty-one patients had von Hippel—Lindau (VHL) disease. The mean tumor diameter was 13 mm (range 5–55 mm). The mean follow up after GKS was 66 months (range 24–114 months). The mean prescription dose was 17.2 Gy (range 12–24 Gy) at the tumor margin. For tumors close to or within the brainstem a prescription dose of 12 to 13 Gy was used. At the most recent follow up, 29 patients were alive, six were dead, and satisfactory tumor control had been achieved in 29. A stable or improved neurological status was obtained in 21 patients. Eight patients underwent open surgery because of tumor-associated cyst enlargement or the development of new tumors after GKS. Seven patients developed new tumors and five of them required a second GKS. The 1-year tumor control rate was 94%; 2 years, 85%; 3 years, 82%; 4 years, 79%; and 5 years, 71%. Histopathology showed that no tumor cells were found and there was degeneration and necrosis in a tumor nodule 48 months after GKS with a prescription dose of 18 Gy. Conclusions. Gamma knife surgery was a useful choice for small- or medium-sized, solid HAB in the long term, especially when the tumor margin dose was 18 Gy. Although GKS can treat multiple tumors in a single session, for HABs associated with VHL disease, GKS faces the dual problems of tumor recurrence or development of a new tumor.


2000 ◽  
Vol 93 (supplement_3) ◽  
pp. 104-106 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yang Kwon ◽  
Sang Ryong Jeon ◽  
Jeong Hoon Kim ◽  
Jung Kyo Lee ◽  
Dong Sook Ra ◽  
...  

Object. The authors sought to analyze causes for treatment failure following gamma knife radiosurgery (GKS) for intracranial arteriovenous malformations (AVMs), in cases in which the nidus could still be observed on angiography 3 years postsurgery. Methods. Four hundred fifteen patients with AVMs were treated with GKS between April 1990 and March 2000. The mean margin dose was 23.6 Gy (range 10–25 Gy), and the mean nidus volume was 5.3 cm3 (range 0.4–41.7 cm3). The KULA treatment planning system and conventional subtraction angiography were used in treatment planning. One hundred twenty-three of these 415 patients underwent follow-up angiography after GKS. After 3 years the nidus was totally obliterated in 98 patients (80%) and partial obliteration was noted in the remaining 25. There were several reasons why complete obliteration was not achieved in all cases: inadequate nidus definition in four patients, changes in the size and location of the nidus in five patients due to recanalization after embolization or reexpansion after hematoma reabsorption, a large AVM volume in five patients, a suboptimal radiation dose to the thalamic and basal ganglia in eight patients, and radioresistance in three patients with an intranidal fistula. Conclusions. The causes of failed GKS for treatment of AVMs seen on 3-year follow-up angiograms include inadequate nidus definition, large nidus volume, suboptimal radiation dose, recanalization/reexpansion, and radioresistance associated with an intranidal fistula.


2002 ◽  
Vol 97 ◽  
pp. 529-532 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Leland Rogers ◽  
Andrew G. Shetter ◽  
Francisco A. Ponce ◽  
Jeffrey A. Fiedler ◽  
Kris A. Smith ◽  
...  

Object. The authors assessed the efficacy and complications from gamma knife radiosurgery (GKS) for multiple sclerosis (MS)-associated trigeminal neuralgia (TN). Methods. There were 15 patients with MS-associated TN (MS—TN). Treatment involved three sequential protocols, 70 to 90-Gy maximum dose, using a single 4-mm isocenter targeting the ipsilateral trigeminal nerve at its junction with the pons with the 50% isodose. Pain was appraised by each patient by using Barrow Neurological Institute (BNI) Scores I through IV: I, no pain; II, occasional pain not requiring medication; IIIa, no pain but continued medication; IIIb, some pain, controlled with medication; IV, some pain, not controlled with medication; and V, severe pain/no pain relief. With a mean follow up of 17 months (range 6–38 months), 12 (80%) of 15 patients experienced pain relief. Three patients (20%) reported no relief (BNI Score V). For responders, the mean latency from treatment to the onset of pain relief was 13 days (range 1–61 days). Maximal relief was achieved after a mean latency of 56 days (range 1–157 days). Five patients underwent a second GKS after a mean interval of 534 days (range 231–946 days). The mean maximum dose at this second treatment was 48 Gy. The target was unchanged from the first treatment. All five patients who underwent repeated GKS improved. Complications were limited to delayed facial hypesthesias. Two (13%) of 15 patients experienced onset of numbness after the first GKS, as well as two of five patients following a second GKS. The patients found this mild and not bothersome. Each patient who developed hypesthesias also experienced complete pain relief. Conclusions. Gamma knife radiosurgery is an effective treatment for MS—TN. Radiosurgery carries an acceptable small risk of mild facial hypesthesias, and hypesthesia appears predictive of a favorable outcome.


2002 ◽  
Vol 97 ◽  
pp. 456-458 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nan Zhang ◽  
Li Pan ◽  
Jia Zhong Dai ◽  
Bin Jiang Wang ◽  
En Min Wang ◽  
...  

Object. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect on tumor growth and symptom relief in patients with jugular foramen schwannomas after undergoing gamma knife radiosurgery (GKS). Methods. Between November 1993 and December 2000, 27 patients were treated for jugular foramen schwannomas. The results of GKS in these cases are reviewed. Twelve patients had undergone previous tumor resection and the others underwent GKS as their primary treatment. The mean tumor volume was 13.5 cm3 (range 4.7–35.7 cm3). The mean margin dose was 14.6 Gy (range 9.8–20 Gy). The mean maximum dose was 32.6 Gy (range 25.4–50 Gy). The prescription isodose was 35 to 55%. Twenty-five patients were followed for a mean period of 38.7 months (range 9–90 months). Tumors shrank in 11 patients, remained stable in 13, and enlarged in one patient who underwent a second GKS procedure. Sixteen patients improved and nine remained at their pre-GKS clinical status. No patient developed new cranial nerve deficits after GKS. Conclusions. The follow-up results indicate that GKS is a safe and effective primary or adjuvant treatment method for the control of jugular foramen schwannomas.


2000 ◽  
Vol 93 (supplement_3) ◽  
pp. 82-89 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chung Ping Yu ◽  
Joel Yiu Chung Cheung ◽  
Samuel Leung ◽  
Robert Ho

Object. The purpose of this study was to confirm, by using a sequential volume mapping (SVM) technique, that gamma knife radiosurgery (GKS) induces negative growth in vestibular schwannomas (VS). Methods. Over a period of 5 years, 126 small- to medium-sized (< 15 cm3) VSs were treated using microradiosurgical techniques within a standard protocol. All patient data were collected prospectively. Sequential magnetic resonance imaging was performed every 6 months to assess the volume of the tumor, based on specially developed GammaPlan software. The mean follow-up duration was 22 months. At least three SVM measurements were obtained in 91 patients and at least four were obtained in 62 patients. The mean number of SVM measurements for each patient was 2.54. After GKS, the following patterns of volume change were seen: 1) 57 VSs showed transient increase in volume with a peak at 6 months, followed by shrinkage. Four VSs exhibited prolonged swelling beyond 24 months. Transient swelling and eventual shrinkage were independent of the initial VS volume; 2) 29 VSs showed direct volume shri6nkage without swelling; and 3) five VSs showed persistent volume increase. All volume changes were greater than 10%. The overall mean volume reduction was 46.8% at 30 months. Conclusions. Sequential volume mapping appears to be superior to conventional two-dimensional measurements in monitoring volume changes in VS after GKS. It confirms that transient swelling is common. Ninety-two percent of tumors responded by showing significant volume shrinkage (mean 46.8%). It would seem that GKS can induce volume reduction in VS.


2000 ◽  
Vol 93 (supplement_3) ◽  
pp. 74-77 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nan Zhang ◽  
Li Pan ◽  
Bin Jiang Wang ◽  
En Min Wang ◽  
Jia Zhong Dai ◽  
...  

Object. The authors analyzed the outcome of 53 patients with cavernous hemangiomas who underwent gamma knife radiosurgery (GKS) and evaluated the benefit of the treatment. Methods. From 1994 to 1995, 57 patients were treated with GKS for cavernous hemangiomas. The mean margin dose to the lesions was 20.3 Gy (range 14.5–25.2 Gy) and the prescription isodose was 50 to 80%. The mean follow-up period was 4.2 years. Four patients were lost to follow up. In 18 of 28 patients whose chief complaint was seizures, there was a decrease in seizure frequency. Five of 23 patients with hemorrhage suffered rebleeding 4 to 39 months after GKS. Seventeen patients in whom the hemangiomas were located at the frontal or parietal lobe had neurological disability and in five this was severe. Two patients underwent resection of their hemangioma after GKS. Three experienced visual problems. Follow-up imaging demonstrated shrinkage of the lesion in 19 patients. Conclusions. A higher margin dose (> 16 Gy) may be associated with a reduction in the incidence of rebleeding after GKS. Higher dosage and severe brain edema after GKS may decrease the frequency and intensity of seizures at least temporarily. Gamma knife radiosurgery may play a role in protection against hemorrhage and in reduction of the rate of seizure in selected cases with the appropriate dose.


2000 ◽  
Vol 93 (supplement_3) ◽  
pp. 42-46 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yoshihisa Kida ◽  
Tatsuya Kobayashi ◽  
Yoshimasa Mori

Object. The purpose of this paper is to report the long-term results of gamma knife radiosurgery (GKS) for low-grade astrocytomas. Methods. Fifty-one patients with low-grade astrocytomas treated with GKS and followed for more than 24 months are reported. Of the 51 patients, 12 harbored Grade I astrocytomas in and around the visual pathways and hypothalamus. The remaining 39 harbored Grade II astrocytomas. The mean patient age at time of GKS was 9.8 years for patient with Grade I and 30.9 years for those with Grade II astrocytomas. The mean tumor diameter was 25.4 mm for Grade I and 23.7 mm for Grade II tumors. The mean margin dose was 12.5 Gy for Grade I and 15.7 Gy for Grade II tumors. In the mean follow-up period of 27.6 months, both Grade I and Grade II astrocytomas responded well to GKS. Grade I astrocytomas had a response rate of 50% and a control rate of 91.7%. Grade II astrocytomas had a 46.2% response rate and an 87.2% control rate. Statistical analyses concerning the efficacy and related factors showed a significantly better response for patients 10 years of age or older with Grade I and those with a follow-up period of more than 24 months. Complications included radiation-induced edema in 18 (35.3%) of 51 cases, cyst formation or enlargement in five (9.8%), and transient tumor enlargement in three (5.9%). Conclusions. Radiosurgery can play an important role in the treatment of low-grade astrocytomas, and complete cure of these tumors is expected in at least some of the cases.


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