Gamma knife surgery for pineal region tumors: an alternative strategy for negative pathology / Cirurgia com gamma knife como tratamento experimental para tumores da região da pineal: uma estratégia alternativa quando os dados anatomopatológicos são negativos

Objective : Pineal region tumors (PRTs) are uncommon, and treatments vary among neoplasm types. The authors report their experience with gamma knife surgery (GKS) as an initial treatment in a series of PRT patients with unclear pathological diagnoses. Method : Seventeen PRT patients with negative pathology who underwent GKS were retrospectively studied. Nine patients had further whole-brain and spinal cord radiotherapy and chemotherapy 6–9 months after GKS. Results : Sixteen of 17 cases were followed up over a mean of 33.3 months. The total response rate was 75%, and the control rate was 81.3%. No obvious neurological deficits or complications were attributable to GKS. Conclusion : The findings indicate that GKS may be an alternative strategy in selected PRT patients who have negative pathological diagnoses, and that good outcomes and quality of life can be obtained with few complications. .

Tumores da região da pineal (TRP) são pouco frequentes e as propostas de tratamento são bastante variadas. Os autores relatam sua experiência em cirurgias com uso gamma knife (CGK) como tratamento experimental inicial em séries de TRP que não têm diagnóstico anatomopatológico ou nos quais o diagnóstico não ficou claro. Foram estudados retrospectivamente 17 pacientes com TRP nestas condições e que foram submetidos a CGK. Destes, 9 pacientes foram submetidos posteriormente a radioterapia de todo o encéfalo e medula espinhal entre 6 e 9 meses depois da CGK. Dezesseis dos 17 pacientes foram acompanhados por um período médio de 33,3 meses. A taxa total de resposta nos pacientes foi de 75% e a taxa dos controles, 81,3%. Não houve nenhum déficit neurológico evidente que pudesse ser atribuído à CGK. A CGK como tratamento experimental pode ser uma estratégia alternativa no grupo específico de pacientes com TRP em que não há diagnóstico anatomopatológico, podendo ser obtida uma boa qualidade de vida com poucas complicações para esse grupo de pacientes.

A Role of Trial Radiation Therapy in the Pineal Region Tumors / 대한방사선종양학회지

PURPOSE: The aim of this retrospective study was to assess the treatment results of 30 patients with pineal region tumors who were underwent radiation therapy under the diagnosis by either CT or MRI. There was no histological verification. We analyzed the prognostic factors that have a significant effect on the overall survival (OS) and disease free survival (DFS) rates. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total 30 patients with pineal region tumors were treated between March 1983 and August 1995. After a trial radiation therapy of 20~30 Gy/2~3 weeks, the patients were evaluated for their clinical response and radiological response by either CT or MRI and the final treatment direction was then decided. According to their response to the trial radiation therapy and the involved site, radiation treatment was given in various fields i.e., local, ventricle, whole brain and craniospinal field. The radiation dose ranged from 40.8 to 59.4 Gy (Median 50.4 Gy). The median follow up was 36.5 months (4~172 months). RESULTS: An improvement or stability in the clinical symptoms was observed in 28 patients (93.3%) after the trial RT. Nineteen patients (63.3%) showed a partial or complete response by CT or MRI. The two-year and five-year survival rates of the patients were 66.7% and 55.1%, respectively. No significant difference in the survival rates according to the degree of the radiological response was abserved after the trial RT. The results of univariate analysis showed that age, the primary site, the performance status (KPS>or=70), the degree of response after completing RT and the RT field were significant prognostic factors affecting the survival and disease free survival rates (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: The clinical and histological characteristics of pineal region tumors are quite complex and diverse. Therefore, it is difficult to predict the histological diagnosis and the possibility of radiocurability only with the initial response to RT. We think that the development of less invasive histological diagnostic techniques and tailored treatment to the histological type of each tumor are needed.

Endoscopic Management of Pineal Region Tumors with Associated Hydrocephalus

PURPOSE: In general, pineal region tumors are managed by using microsurgical approach or stereoctactic biopsy. However, in selected cases endoscopic approach to pineal lesions might prove to be as effective as microsurgery and less invasive. We report an alternative surgical strategy for managing certain patients with pineal neoplasms that allows treatment of the symptomatic hydrocephalus as well as tumor biopsy under direct vision in the same sitting. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty-two patients with pineal region tumors with associated hydrocephalus were treated in one session by endoscopic third ventriculostomy and endoscopic tumor biopsy at our institution from October 1996 to January 2000. All patients were retrospectively evaluated. RESULTS: There was no operative mortality. There was one cause of significant bleeding during biopsy, but was controlled endoscopically, and the patient recovered completely without neurologic deficit resulting from intra-operative bleeding. The symptoms related to increased intracranial pressure(ICP) have resolved in all patients, and the need for a shunt is completely eliminated. Histological diagnosis was achieved in 21 of the 22 patients by this procedure. A biopsy was not obtained in one patient. Although this pineal region tumor was seen endoscopically, this could not be biopsied because of technical difficulties in working around an enlarged massa intermedia. The lesions included fourteen germinomas, three mixed germ cell tumors, and one each of the followings: pineocytoma, pineoblastoma, pineocytoma/pineoblastoma(intermediate type), meningioma, and low grade glioma. Five of the 22 patients subsequently underwent formal microsurgical tumor removal. Additional chemotherapy or radiotherapy could then be initiated according to the histological diagnosis. CONCLUSION: We consider that endoscopy affords a minimally invasive way of reaching three objectives by one-step surgery in the management of pineal region tumors with associated hydrocephalus: 1) cerebrospinal fluid(CSF) sample for analysis of tumour markers and cytology, 2) treatment of hydrocephalus by third ventriculostomy, and 3) several biopsy specimens can be obtained identifying tumors which will require further open surgery or adjuvant radiation and/or chemotherapy. However, complications and morbidities should be emphasized so as to be avoided with further technical experience.

Infratentorial-supracerebellar keyhole approach for microsurgical treatment of pineal region tumors / 中华显微外科杂志

Objective This study is to explore the infratentoriat-supracerebellar keyhole approach for microsurgical treatment of pineal region tumors and to evaluate its curative efficacy and safety.Methods According to hi-fi quality MRI images,individual operation schemes were designed.Microsurgical infratentori- al-supracerebellar keyhole approach was used to resect lesions in 7 consecutive patients with prone postition.A 2.0 cm?2.5 cm surgical bone window was performed with its superior margin reaching to the inferior margin of the transverse sinus and confluence sinus.Results Among the 7 pineal region tumors,there were 2 ger- minomas,2 pineocytomas,1 pineoblastoma,1 glioma and 1 chlesteatoma.All cases were re-examined with MRI after operation and it was found that 6 lesions were totally removed and 1 was subtotally removed.The outcome of the treatment was satisfying.There was no infection,bleeding or death after surgery.The follow-up result in the near future was good.Conclusion The infratentorial-supracerebellar keyhole approach for the excision of pineal region tumors was proved to be a satisfactory means with a total removal rate,an excellent curative effect and small surgical trauma.

Analysis of Treatment Results for Pineal Region Tumors

The authors think that the more desirable treatment for pineal region tumors is definitive surgery with a histological diagnosis and that a conservative approach consisting of shunting and radiation therapy no longer seems to be appropriate. We report the result of a retrospective review of the presentation, treatment, and outcome of the seventeen patients treated between June, 1989 and June, 1994. Nine patients were males and eight patients were females, and the age ranged from 13 to 51 years(mean age about 32 years old). Histological verification was available in fourteen tumors;six by an occipital transtentorial approach and five by an infratentorial supracerebellar approach and two by a stereotaxic biopsy and one by a frontotemporal craniotomy for ectopic germinoma. Germinomas were the most common type. Three of the seventeen patients died of tumor progression. Because the great variety of tumor found in the pineal region must be treated in different ways and because improved microsurgical and stereotaxic surgical techniques have made mortality and morbidity rates acceptably low, a biopsy diagnosis should be obtained.

Pineal Region Tumors : Clinical Analysis of 13 Cases

We reviewed 13 patients treated in the Department of Neurosurgery of the Presbyterian Medical Center from 1979 to 1982 who had tumors in the region of the pineal body. The treatment of such tumors has been in a state of flux between conservative therapy(cerebro-spinal fluid shunting and radiotherapy) and direct surgical removal. We compared both modes of treatment and analysed the patients in terms of clinical, pathological and radiological points of view. Good results were obtained by supracerebellar and infratentorial surgical approach.