Gamma knife radiosurgery (GKRS) for pineal region tumors: a study of 147 cases.

Wentao Li,Yonghong Liu,Wenxing Kang,Zhenqiang Liang,Binfei Zhang,Binfei Zhang,Xudong Ma,Boning Dong,Jinning Song

doi:10.1186/s12957-015-0720-5

Abstract

BackgroundThe purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of gamma knife radiosurgery (GKRS) in the treatment of pineal region tumors (PRTs).MethodsWe retrospectively reviewed 147 cases of PRTs primarily treated with GKRS at our hospital between 1999 and 2009. Mean follow-up time was 67 months (range 60.5–100.1). The local tumor control rates (LTCRs) and overall survival rates were calculated to evaluate the results of the GKRS treatment.ResultsAt 2 months after GKRS, tumor volume was significantly reduced in 91 cases (61.9 %). At 6 months, average tumor volume was 4.2 cm3 as compared to 8.47 cm3 before GKRS. By 1 year after GKRS, the tumor completely disappeared in 57 patients. Fourteen patients underwent second treatment, and one patient had third treatment. The overall survival rates were 72.1 % at 3 years and 66.7 % at 5 years for all patients and 62.4 % at 3 years and 54.5 % at 5 years for germ cell tumors (GCTs). The LTCRs were 94.30 % at 3 years and 90.80 % at 5 years for all patients and 88.00 % at 3 years and 77.27 % at 5 years for GCTs.ConclusionsGKRS is an effective and safe modality that can be widely used to PRTs as the primary therapy.

Highlights

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of gamma knife radiosurgery (GKRS) in the treatment of pineal region tumors (PRTs)
We reviewed our institutional experiences of treating pineal region tumors by GKRS in 147 patients
Patient population and diagnosis We retrospectively reviewed 147 consecutive cases of pineal region tumors treated with GKRS at the First Affiliated Hospital of Xi’an Jiaotong University (Xi’an, China) between 1999 and 2009

Summary

Introduction

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of gamma knife radiosurgery (GKRS) in the treatment of pineal region tumors (PRTs). PRTs are rare, which accounts for 0.5–1 % of all intracranial tumors in the United States and Europe [1] but have a higher incidence of 3.2 % in Japan [2, 3], 0.9 % in Islamabad [4], 1.2 % in Karachi [5], and 1.9 % in China [6]. These tumors are approximately ten times more common in children than in adults and constitute 3–8 % of pediatric intracranial tumors [7]. The most successful GKRS treatment of pineal region tumors has been with benign or low-grade

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