title: [The value of radiotherapy in the treatment of tympano-jugulare chemodectoma. Apropos of 18 cases].
abstract: Surgery is the standard treatment of tympano-jugular chemodectomas. Radiation therapy is used only for inoperable forms. Since the tumor most often does not regress completely after irradiation, radiation therapy is generally considered as palliative. From 1979 to 1988, 18 patients with this rare tumor were referred to the Necker Hospital Tumor Center for radiation therapy. These patients have now been followed for 2 to 11 years. Tumors were extensive (Fish Stage C and D) in 75% of the patients and half of these patients showed cranial nerve involvement in addition to the usual otovestibular anomalies. Three patients were referred for recurrent tumors and 7 patients had undergone surgery just prior to radiation therapy. Among the 11 patients treated with the tumor in place, 7 had more or less complete regression of symptoms and radiologic signs, 3 had no further progression of symptoms and radiologic signs and 1 had tumor progression and expired as the result of the disease. No patient receiving post-operative radiation therapy developed clinical or radiological evidence of recurrent tumor. Among the 18 patients treated, 2 died of intercurrent disease. Our experience shows that a dose of 45 Gy is suffisant, leaves no trace, and does not prevent subsequent surgery. In an extensive review of the literature, tumor growth stopped or regressed after radiation therapy in 90% of the patients reported. Therefore, if incomplete surgery or neurological operative sequelae seem unavoidable, we prefer radiation therapy to surgical management of this tumor.
authors.affiliation: Service de Radiothérapie, Centre des Tumeurs, Hôpital Pitié-Salpêtrière, Paris.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Baillet
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Delanian
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Rozec
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Housset
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Lamas
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Poignonec
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D004428:Ear Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000532:radiotherapy* / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007601:Jugular Veins; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D010236:Paraganglioma, Extra-Adrenal / Q000473:pathology / Q000532:radiotherapy* / Q000601:surgery; D011879:Radiotherapy Dosage; D014432:Tympanic Membrane
vernacular_title: Intérêt de la radiothérapie dans le traitement des chémodectomes tympanojugulaires. A propos de 18 cas.