Journal Article

Brachytherapy as an Adjuvant for Recurrent Atypical and Malignant Meningiomas

Oh, Kevin, Barker, Frederick G, Mauceri, Thomas C, Koch, Matthew J, Curry, William T, Agarwalla, Pankaj K, Niemierko, Andrezj, Shih, Helen A, Loeffler, Jay S, Royce, Trevor J

2019

Overview

Abstract BACKGROUND Recurrent atypical and malignant meningiomas have poor outcomes with surgical therapy alone. Neither adjuvant chemotherapy nor postoperative radiation therapy remedies this problem. OBJECTIVE To evaluate our experience with the treatment of 15 patients treated with I-125 or Cs-131 brachytherapy radiation seeds as an adjuvant in these difficult cases. METHODS Patients with high-grade recurrent meningioma who underwent resection and intraoperative placement of brachytherapy seeds at our institution from 2002 to 2014 were identified and studied by retrospective chart review. RESULTS Fifteen patients with median age of 68.8 yr were treated with I-125 (n = 13) or Cs-131 (n = 2) brachytherapy seeds for cases of recurrent, grade II (n = 8), or grade III (n = 7) meningioma at our institution from 2002 to 2014. These lesions originated from a variety of locations including, convexity (3), falcine (3), frontal (2), occipital (1), parietal (2), 2 sphenoid wing (2), and temporal (2), based recurrent meningiomas. Patients had a median of 2 prior open surgical interventions and received local radiation therapy with a median dose of 55 Gy prior to brachytherapy. Survival at 2.5 yr was 56% for grade II and 17% for grade III lesions. Survival was significantly associated with patient age but not tumoral pathology. Forty percent of patients required reoperations for wound complications following brachytherapy. CONCLUSION Brachytherapy with implantation of permanent radiation seeds provides a viable alternative treatment for recurrent meningioma while carrying a significant clinical risk of wound infection and need for reoperation. Graphical Abstract Graphical Abstract

• Publisher: Oxford University Press,Copyright by the Congress of Neurological Surgeons,Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc
• Subject: Adult / Aged / Aged, 80 and over / Brachytherapy - methods / Brain cancer / Brain Neoplasms - radiotherapy / Brain Neoplasms - surgery / Cancer / Cesium Radioisotopes / Chemotherapy / Combined Modality Therapy / Female / Follow-Up Studies / Health aspects / Humans / Iodine Radioisotopes / Male / Meningioma - radiotherapy / Meningioma - surgery / Middle Aged / Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Neurosurgery / Radiation therapy / Radioisotope brachytherapy / Radiotherapy, Adjuvant - methods / Research—Human—Clinical Studies / Retrospective Studies / Survival Analysis / Treatment Outcome