Background: The aim of the study was to assess the results of stereotactic radiosurgery and hypofractionated stereotactic radiotherapy (SRS/SRT) for skull base chordomas.
Materials and methods: Twenty-three patients aged 12-75 were treated with SRS/SRT due to skull base chordoma. In 19 patients SRS/SRT was a part of the primary therapy, while in 4, a part of the treatment of recurrence. In 4 patients SRS/SRT was used as a boost after conventional radiotherapy and in 19 cases it was the only irradiation method applied. Patients were irradiated to total dose of 6-35 Gy and median total equivalent dose of 52 Gy.
Results: During median follow-up of 39 months, 4 patients died. One-, two- and five-year OS was 95%, 89% and 69%, respectively. In nine patients, progression of the disease was diagnosed during study period. One-, two- and five-year progression free survival (PFS) from the end of radiotherapy was 81%, 59% and 43%, respectively. Radiotherapy was well tolerated and only two patients in our group experienced moderate treatment-related toxicity.
Conclusion: SRS/SRT alone or in combination with surgery is a safe and effective method of irradiation of patients with skull base chordomas. High EQD2 is necessary to achieve satisfactory treatment results.
Keywords: chordoma; radiotherapy; rare tumors; skull base tumors; stereotactic radiotherapy.
© 2021 Greater Poland Cancer Centre.