Successful Treatment of Large Malignant Tumor Involvingthe Skull Base by Radiosurgery Combined with Intraarterial Chemotherapy and Embolization

Stereotactic radiosurgery can be used to treat malignant tumors involving the skull base. While it avoids extensive sacrifice of the normal structures surrounding the tumor, radiosurgery does not eradicate the tumor mass immediately. We present a patient with a large hypervascular malignant tumor involving the skull base that resulted in intracranial hypertension. He was successfully treated with stereotactic radiosurgery combined with intra-arterial chemotherapy and embolization of the arteries feeding the tumor. We discuss radiosurgery, chemotherapy, embolization and other therapeutic modalities for treating large malignant tumors involving the skull base.

Gamma knife - Malignant tumor - Radiosurgery - Skull base tumor

References

• 1 Lunsford L D, Witt T C, Kondziolka D, Flickinger J C. Stereotactic radiosurgery of anterior skull base tumors.  Clin Neurosurg. 1995;  42 99-118
• 2 Miller R C, Foote R L, Coffey R J, Gorman D A, Earle J D, Schomberg P J, Kline R W. The role of stereotactic radiosurgery in the treatment of malignant skull base tumors.  Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys. 1997;  39 977-981
• 3 Larson D A, Coffey R J. Radiosurgery. Devices, principles, and rationale.  Clin Neurosurg. 1993;  40 429-445
• 4 Alexander E R, Moriarty T M, Davis R B, Wen P Y, Fine H A, Black P M, Kooy H M, Loeffler J S. Stereotactic radiosurgery for the definitive, noninvasive treatment of brain metastases.  J Natl Cancer Inst. 1995;  87 34-40
• 5 Adler J R, Cox R S, Kaplan I, Martin D P. Stereotactic radiosurgical treatment of brain metastases.  J Neurosurg. 1992;  76 444-449

Corresponding Author