Image-guided robotic radiosurgery for glomus jugulare tumors-Multicenter experience and review of the literature.

BACKGROUND Glomus jugulare tumors (GJTs) are challenging to treat due to their vascularization and location. This analysis evaluates the effectiveness and safety of image-guided robotic radiosurgery (RRS) for GJTs in a multicenter study and reviews the existing radiosurgical literature. METHODS We analyzed outcome data from 101 patients to evaluate local control (LC), changes in pretreatment deficits, and toxicity. Moreover, radiosurgical studies for GJTs have been reviewed. RESULTS After a median follow-up of 35 months, the overall LC was 99%. Eighty-eight patients were treated with a single dose, 13 received up to 5 fractions. The median tumor volume was 5.6 cc; the median treatment dose for single-session treatments is 16 Gy, and for multisession treatments is 21 Gy. Fifty-six percentage of patients experienced symptom improvement or recovered entirely. CONCLUSIONS RRS is an effective primary and secondary treatment option for GJTs. The available literature suggests that radiosurgery is a treatment option for most GJTs.