Fractionated radiotherapy and radiosurgery of intracranial meningiomas

Abstract

This review focuses on the role of radiosurgery and fractionated radiotherapy in the management of intracranial meningiomas, which are the most common benign intracranial tumors. Whenever feasible, surgery remains a cornerstone of treatment in effective health care treatment where modern radiotherapy plays an important role. Irradiation can be proposed as first-line treatment, as adjuvant treatment, or as a second-line treatment after recurrence. Stereotactic radiosurgery consists of delivering, a high-dose of radiation with high precision, to the tumor in a single-fraction with a minimal exposure of surrounding healthy tissue. Stereotactic radiosurgery, especially with the gamma knife technique, has reached a high level of success for the treatment of intracranial meningiomas with excellent local control and low morbidity. However, stereotactic radiosurgery is limited by tumor size,<3–4cm, and location, i.e. reasonable distance from the organs at risk. Fractionated radiation therapy is an interesting alternative (5 to 6weeks treatment time) for large inoperable tumors. The results of fractionated radiation therapy seem encouraging as regards both local control and morbidity although long-term prospective studies are still needed.