Helium charged particle radiotherapy for meningioma: experience at UCLBL. University of California Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory.
OBJECTIVE
Evaluate the use of helium charged particle radiotherapy in the treatment of residual or unresectable meningioma adjacent to critical structures.


METHODS
Twenty-nine patients with meningioma of the skull base or spine were irradiated with helium charged particle radiotherapy at the University of California Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory (UCLBL) during the period 1981-1992. Twenty-six patients were treated for intracranial and three for spinal tumors. Total doses of 53.0-80.4 Gray equivalent (GyE) with a mean of 63 GyE were delivered using the helium ion beam.


RESULTS
Ten-year local control and survival rates calculated by the Kaplan-Meier product limit method were 84% and 80% respectively. Doses of 60.0 GyE were delivered with a low rate of complications. The only failures were in massive, recurrent tumors.


CONCLUSIONS
High doses using helium charged particle radiotherapy can be safely and effectively delivered to large residual or unresectable meningioma near radiosensitive structures.
Kaplan
I D
ID
University of California Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory, Berkeley 94720.
Castro
J R
JR
Phillips
T L
TL
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006371:Helium; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008577:Meningeal Neoplasms / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D008579:Meningioma / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000453:epidemiology; D010315:Particle Accelerators; D011882:Radiotherapy, High-Energy; D015996:Survival Rate
D006371:Helium