Kim Jh

Meningeal hemangiopericytomas: long-term outcome and biological behavior.

BACKGROUNDnThe authors present a retrospective clinical analysis of meningeal hemangiopericytomas. The long-term outcome and biologic behavior, including local recurrence and extraneural distant metastasis, are elucidated.nnnMETHODnClinical records and radiologic findings of 31 cases with meningeal hemangiopericytoma treated at Seoul National University Hospital and Asian Medical Center between 1982 and 1999 were carefully reviewed. The final outcome was determined by direct or phone contact and questionnaire by mail. The duration of follow-up was from 1 to 216 months (mean 77). All patients underwent craniotomy and Simpson Grade I or II resection was possible in 24 patients. Conventional radiotherapy was given in 11 patients (in 5 after total excision and in 6 for residual mass) and stereotactic radiosurgery was conducted in 6 cases.nnnRESULTSnIntracranial recurrence was seen in 12 cases (38.7%) and the mean period before the first recurrence was 104 months. The recurrence was at the primary site in 11 cases and diffuse leptomeningeal seeding occurred in the remaining case. The 5-year recurrence free rate was 59.2% and the extent of excision was the significant factor (72.7% in total excision group and 20.8% in the incomplete excision group, p = 0.006). In four patients (12.9%), extraneural metastases developed at an average of 107 months. Six patients died during the follow-up period; however, 2 of these died of unrelated causes.nnnCONCLUSIONSnComplete excision is the most important factor in reducing recurrence. However, recurrence may occur even after complete excision. Careful long-term follow-up is mandatory because of the long disease-free interval.

Chordomas and chondrosarcomas of the skull base: comparative analysis of clinical results in 30 patients.

Chordomas and chondrosarcomas occur rarely in the skull base and have been often considered commonly with respect to the management. The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical results in each series of these tumors and analyze comparative outcome. Between 1991 and 2005, 30 consecutive patients with pathological diagnosis of chordoma (nu2009=u200919) or chondrosarcoma (nu2009=u200911) of the skull base were managed by multimodal treatment combining surgical resection with conventional photon radiotherapy and/or gamma knife radiosurgery. A retrospective analysis was conducted on these patients (aged 3 to 69xa0years; mean age of 37.3xa0years; 17 females and 13 males; mean follow-up of 56.1xa0months). Four deaths occurred among the patients with chordoma. The progression-free survival rate at 3 and 5xa0years was 61.5 and 40.0% in chordoma. In contrast, no mortalities were observed, and there was only one recurrence among the patients with chondrosarcoma. The progression-free survival rate at 3 and 5xa0years was 88.9 and 80.0% in chondrosarcoma. Among 15 survivors with chordoma, four patients were suffering from severe disability with progressive disease. On the other hand, most patients with chondrosarcoma harbored stable disease and less disabling symptoms except one instance of recurrence. As the biological behavior of chordoma is much more aggressive than that of chondrosarcoma in the skull base, one should make a distinction between these entities to plan an optimal treatment strategy.

Visual changes after gamma knife surgery for optic nerve tumors: Report of three cases

✓ Tumors involving the optic nerve (optic glioma, optic nerve sheath meningioma) are benign but difficult to treat. Gamma knife surgery (GKS) may be a useful treatment. The authors present data obtained in three such cases and record the effects of GKS.

Frontal transcortical approach in 12 Central Neurocytomas

BackgroundCentral neurocytomas (CN) are rare intraventricular tumors with benign clinical behavior that typically affect young adults. Although a favorable prognosis is generally expected after adequate management, there is no general consensus on the standard of therapy. We evaluated the efficacy and safety of radical surgery for the management of CN.MethodsBetween 1996 and 2010, 12 patients with CN (eight males and four females; range, 18 to 62xa0years; mean age, 28.5xa0years) were surgically treated in our institution. The initial goal of therapy was complete resection through a frontal transcortical approach, and repeat surgery was done in cases of residual or recurrent disease. The mean follow-up period was 51.2xa0months (range, 14–149xa0months).ResultsComplete resection was achieved in all patients either with primary (nine patients, 75xa0%) or second-look surgery (three patients, 25xa0%). No mortalities occurred and there were four surgery-related complications (two events of transient hemiparesis, one transient aphasia, and onepostoperative subdural hygroma). All patients were alive with normal activities of daily living at the last follow-up. Two patients (16.6xa0%) experienced a single recurrence at 26 and 66xa0months, one of whom underwent redo-surgery.ConclusionFor the management of CN, complete resection is feasible, effective, and safe. Repeat surgery may be a viable option in cases of residual or recurrent disease and the use of radiotherapy can be avoided in this young population.

Is the Complete Resection of Craniopharyngiomas in Adults Feasible Considering Both the Oncologic and Functional Outcomes

Objective To assess the impact of the complete resection of craniopharyngioma (CP) in adults on oncologic and functional outcomes. Methods We retrospectively analyzed 82 patients with CP who were surgically treated by the same neurosurgeon at our institution between January 1994 and December 2012. Results Gross total resection (GTR) was achieved in 71 patients (86.6%), near total resection (NTR) in 7 patients (8.5%), and subtotal resection (STR) in 3 patients (3.7%). The disease-specific overall survival rate was 100% with the exclusion of 2 surgery-related mortalities. The overall recurrence rate was 12.2% (10 of 82 patients), however the recurrence rate according to extent of resection (EOR) was 9.9% (7 of 71 patients) after GTR, 14.3% (1 of 7 patients) after NTR, and 66.7% (2 of 3 patients) after STR. The overall recurrence-free survival (RFS) rates at 5 and 10 years were 87.0% and 76.8%, respectively. Postoperatively, most patients (86.3%) needed hormone replacement for at least 1 hypothalamic-pituitary axis. Vision improved in 56.4% of the patients with preoperative abnormal vision, but deteriorated in 27.4% of patients. Hypothalamic dysfunction developed in 32.9% of patients. There were no significant differences in the risks of pituitary dysfunction, visual deterioration, or hypothalamic dysfunction between the groups with complete vs. incomplete removal. The overall rate of postoperative complications was 22.0%, which did not differ between groups (p=0.053). Conclusion The complete removal of a CP at first surgery can provide a chance for a cure with acceptable morbidity and mortality risks.

Treatment and outcomes for gangliogliomas: a single-center review of 16 patients.

Background Ganglioglioma is a rare and slowly growing benign tumor. We investigated the outcomes of patients who underwent different combination treatments. Methods Between 1998 and 2012, 16 patients, including 11 men and 5 women, with a median age of 12.5 years (range, 2.5-65 years) were treated for intracranial gangliogliomas at our institution. The median follow-up period was 5.7 years (range, 48 days-15.6 years). Fifteen cases were included in the outcome assessment because one patient was lost to follow-up. Complete resection was achieved in 8 (53%) patients. Six (40%) patients underwent incomplete resection with or without adjuvant radiotherapy, and one patient with a brainstem tumor underwent only stereotactic biopsy. Results Gangliogliomas predominantly affected young (87.5%), male patients and most frequently presented with seizures (64%). Of eight patients who underwent complete resection, seven did not show recurrence, whereas only three of six with incomplete resection showed no recurrence. Four patients with recurrence received salvage treatments (two repeat surgeries and two radiosurgeries). A tumor control rate of 93% (14/15) was achieved at the last follow-up. No recurrence or malignant changes were observed after a median follow-up of 12 and 4.5 years in four patients who received gamma knife (GK) radiosurgery as adjuvant and salvage treatment. Conclusion Complete resection produced the best outcomes and incomplete resection followed by adjuvant or salvage treatments showed favorable outcomes. In patients who are not eligible for complete resection because of tumor location or potential neurologic deficits following surgery, GK radiosurgery should be considered for the treatment of residual or recurrent tumors.