Clinical analysis of 278 cases of benign skull base tumors treated by Gamma Knife radiosurgery

Objective To analyze the indication,ways,therapeutic effect,dose prescription and complication of skull base tumor treated by Gamma Knife.Methods Clinical data,including general information,method of treatment and therapeutic effect of 278 benign skull base tumors treated by Gamma Knife were studied retrospectively.Results All patients were followed up for at least 2 years.The clinical conditions improved significantly in 130 patients,remained stable in 125 patients,and worsened in 23 patients.The 5 years progression-free survival rate was 89.5%(249/278)by Kaplan-Meier analysis.The results of Log-rank analysis revealed that better results appeared in patients with smaller tumors.≤3 cm compared with those tumors＞3 am(X2=5.41,P=0.02),and in patients experiencing tumor resection compared with those without history of su~ery respectively(X2=3.96,P=0.047).10 of the 11 cases with tumors＞3 cm who were treated by volume-staged prescription achieved local tumor control.Brain edema occurred in 3 patients,apoplexy of tumor in 1 patient,hydrocephalus in 3 patents,dysfunction of cranial nerves in 12 patients.Conclusion For skull base tumor,Gamma Knife is a major choice,with low risk and maybe an alternative for those small tumors.For those residues after craniotomy,Gamma Knife maybe an auxiliary treatment,and it can be cautiously applied in those with large tumors who cannot tolerate surgery for various reasons. Key words: Skull base tumor; Gamma Knife