Objective: To investigate the outcome of linac-based fractionated stereotactic radiotherapy over the last 10 years for intracranial skull base benign meningiomas in patients who were inoperable, who had residual tumors with some components of high mitotic index after surgery and who experienced relapse of the tumor.
Methods: Twenty-seven patients with intracranial skull base benign meningiomas treated with fractionated stereotactic radiotherapy were retrospectively reviewed. Twenty-seven cases were diagnosed as benign meningiomas on pathological (17 cases) or radiological (10 cases) examination. The median follow-up time was 90 months after initial treatment and 63 months after fractionated stereotactic radiotherapy. The median biological equivalent dose calculated using an α/β ratio of 2.0 Gy was 82.0 Gy (range, 60-106 Gy).
Results: The 5-year overall survival was 95.7 (95% confidence interval: 87.3-100)% after initial treatment and 96.2 (88.8-100)% after fractionated stereotactic radiotherapy. The 5-year overall survival and local control rate of patients who received fractionated stereotactic radiotherapy alone were both 100%. The 5-year progression-free survival and local control rate after fractionated stereotactic radiotherapy were all 100% with a tumor volume of <9.1 cc and 68.2 (37.2-99.2) and 75.8 (45.2-100)% for the tumors 9.1 cc, respectively. The difference was significant in progression-free survival (P = 0.022) and local control rate (P = 0.044). The local control rate was significantly worse in patients who received fractionated stereotactic radiotherapy for relapsed tumors (P = 0.01). No late radiation damage was observed in the follow-up period.
Conclusions: The long-term outcome suggests that fractionated stereotactic radiotherapy is a safe and effective treatment for intracranial skull base benign meningioma, especially for those who have tumors <9.1 cc or would receive fractionated stereotactic radiotherapy with or without surgery as the initial treatment.