Intracapsular irradiation therapy of craniopharyngiomas with radioactive gold: indication and follow-up results.

Abstract

Sixteen cases out of 27 patients with craniopharyngiomas were arbitrarily subjected to combined treatment of simple surgical evacuation and intracapsular irradiation with 198-Au. Follow-up studies were performed on 15 cases and they ranged from 6 months to 11 years. One patient was omitted from the study because of a short postoperative period. Immediate postoperative morbidity and the endocrine functions at the end of the follow-up study were compared with those of the patients who underwent extensive surgical resection of the tumors. Intracapsular irradiation with 198-Au was found to have satisfactory effects in the treatment of cystic craniopharyngioma, especially in recurrent cases of initially solid tumors, with respect to the preservation of the endocrine functions and the daily activity of the patients. The immediate postoperative hazards in the patients' care were also much less and they were found to be easily manageable. The patients, who had been followed up for over 5 years, maintained an occupational IQ score in the normal range and the patients under school age were all able to continue their school lives. One of the female patients, who had been married after the treatment, could have two children without any specific replacement therapy, and another patient in childhood who had shown physical retardation due to HGH deficiency, showed favorable results with crescormon administration in comparison with cases of extensive resection. Although the dosimetric value of 198-Au should be varied according to the size and thickness of the capsule, it was found that 15 to 30 mCi of 198-Au was the appropriate dosis for treatment.