title: Comments on brachycurie therapy of cerebral tumours.
abstract: Between 1980 and 1987 thirty patients harbouring cerebral neuroepithelial tumours have been treated with stereotactic brachycurie therapy (18 males, 12 females), either alone (n = 16) or combined with surgery (n = 7) and/or external radiotherapy (n = 10). There were 25 slowly growing tumours (grade I n = 1; grade II n = 24). The remaining 5 were malignant tumours (grade III n = 3; grade IV n = 2). The radioactive sources utilized were 192Ir in 26 cases and 125I in 4. Twenty-eight patients underwent permanent implantation, the other two received temporary irradiation with removable after-loaded catheters. Target volume was less than 15 cm3 in 6 cases, between 16-60 cm3 in 17 and more than 60 cm3 in 7. Tumour dose at the periphery of the target volume was: 70-100 Gy in 19 and 100-130 Gy in 9 of the cases treated with permanent implantation; the patients irradiated with removable implants received 40-60 Gy in 5-7 days. General follow-up ranged between 0.3 and 6.9 years (mean = 2.5 years). The results are analyzed with reference to the following aspects: 1) natural history of the disease; 2) modalities and goal of the treatment; 3) place of brachy therapy as sole treatment and combined with the other available therapeutical means.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Neurosurgery, Catholic University, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Scerrati
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Roselli
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Iacoangeli
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Montemaggi
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Cellini
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Falcinelli
authors.forename: G F
authors.initials: GF
authors.lastname: Rossi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001254:Astrocytoma / Q000532:radiotherapy; D001918:Brachytherapy / Q000379:methods*; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000532:radiotherapy* / Q000601:surgery; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005910:Glioma / Q000532:radiotherapy; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009837:Oligodendroglioma / Q000532:radiotherapy; D011879:Radiotherapy Dosage; D013238:Stereotaxic Techniques