Brain Tumors Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Brain Tumors, including details on symptoms, benign and malignant tumors, gliomas, screening, treatment. | ||||||||
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Radiotherapy after subtotally resected or recurrent ganglioglioma.Liauw SL, Byer JE, Yachnis AT, Amdur RJ, Mendenhall WM Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, FL 32610-0385, USA. Purpose: Gangliogliomas can recur after subtotal resection (STR). The role of postoperative radiation therapy (RT) is undefined. Methods and Materials: Eight consecutive patients with low-grade gangliogliomas (n = 7) or anaplastic gangliogliomas (n = 1) were treated with RT between 1987 and 2004. Median age was 17 years. Five patients received adjuvant RT after STR at a median time of 6 weeks after surgery. Three patients received salvage RT at a median time of 17 months after surgery. The median dose of RT was 54 Gy. Control was defined as no progressive disease on serial imaging. Median follow-up was 8.8 years. Results: Of the 7 patients with low-grade gangliogliomas, 3 were controlled after RT and 4 recurred locally. Recurrences were controlled with further surgery (n = 2), chemotherapy (n = 1), or re-irradiation (n = 1) (median follow-up, 9 years after salvage therapy). Patients who received adjuvant RT after STR of their low-grade gangliogliomas had an overall local control rate of 75%. All 3 patients who were treated with salvage RT had recurrences in the treated area alone (n = 2) or in the treated area with leptomeningeal spread (n = 1). The patient with an anaplastic ganglioglioma was treated with adjuvant RT, and had recurrence in the radiation field after 4 months, then died 1 month later. Conclusions: Adjuvant RT may be indicated to treat select patients with subtotally resected gangliogliomas. Salvage RT for recurrence is probably less effective for long-term control; however, patients who recur may still be candidates for effective salvage therapies in the absence of malignant transformation. Published 25 December 2006 in Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys, 67(1): 244-7.
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