Craniopharyngiomas are difficult to resect completely, recurrence is frequent, and hypothalamic/pituitary function may be affected after surgery. Therefore, the ideal treatment for craniopharyngiomas is local control with preservation of hypothalamic and pituitary functions. The purpose of this study is to retrospectively evaluate the long-term efficacy and adverse events of stereotactic radiotherapy (SRT) with Novalis for craniopharyngioma. This study included 23 patients with craniopharyngiomas who underwent surgery between 2006 and 2021 and underwent SRT as their first irradiation after surgery. The median post-irradiation observation period was 88 months, with the overall survival rates of 100 % at 10 years and 85.7 % at 20 years. One patient died of adrenal insufficiency 12 years after irradiation. The local control rate of the cystic component was 91.3 % at 5 years, 83.0 % at 15 years, with no increase in the solid component. No delayed impairment of visual or pituitary function due to irradiation was observed. No new hypothalamic dysfunction was observed after radiation therapy. No delayed adverse events such as brain necrosis, cerebral artery stenosis, cerebral infarction, or secondary brain tumors were also observed. SRT was safe and effective over the long term in patients irradiated in childhood as well as adults, with no local recurrence or adverse events. We believe that surgical planning for craniopharyngioma with stereotactic radiotherapy in mind is effective in maintaining a good prognosis and quality of life.
Keywords: Craniopharyngioma; Function preserving surgery; Hypothalamic function; Pituitary function; Stereotactic radiotherapy; Visual function.
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