Stereotactic radiosurgery provides equivalent tumor control to Simpson Grade 1 resection for patients with small- to medium-size meningiomas.
OBJECTIVE
To compare tumor control rates after surgical resection or stereotactic radiosurgery for patients with small- to medium-size intracranial meningiomas.


METHODS
Between 1990 and 1997, 198 adult meningioma patients treated at our center underwent either surgical resection (n = 136) or radiosurgery (n = 62) as primary management for benign meningiomas <35 mm in average diameter. Tumor recurrence or progression rates were calculated by the Kaplan-Meier method according to an independent radiographic review. The mean follow-up was 64 months.


RESULTS
The tumor resections were Simpson Grade 1 in 57 (42%), Grade 2 in 57 (42%), and Grade 3-4 in 22 (16%). The mean margin and maximal radiation dose at radiosurgery was 17.7 Gy and 34.9 Gy, respectively. Tumor recurrence/progression was more frequent in the surgical resection group (12%) than in the radiosurgical group (2%; p = 0.04). No statistically significant difference was detected in the 3- and 7-year actuarial progression-free survival (PFS) rate between patients with Simpson Grade 1 resections (100% and 96%, respectively) and patients who underwent radiosurgery (100% and 95%, respectively; p = 0.94). Radiosurgery provided a higher PFS rate compared with patients with Simpson Grade 2 (3- and 7-year PFS rate, 91% and 82%, respectively; p <0.05) and Grade 3-4 (3- and 7-year PFS rate, 68% and 34%, respectively; p <0.001) resections. Subsequent tumor treatments were more common after surgical resection (15% vs. 3%, p = 0.02). Complications occurred in 10% of patients after radiosurgery compared with 22% of patients after surgical resection (p = 0.06).


CONCLUSIONS
The PFS rate after radiosurgery was equivalent to that after resection of a Simpson Grade 1 tumor and was superior to Grade 2 and 3-4 resections in our study. If long-term follow-up confirms the high tumor control rate and low morbidity of radiosurgery, this technique will likely become the preferred treatment for most patients with small- to moderate-size meningiomas without symptomatic mass effect.
Pollock
Bruce E
BE
Department of Neurological Surgery, Mayo Clinic and Foundation, Rochester, MN 55905, USA. pollock.bruce@mayo.edu
Stafford
Scott L
SL
Utter
Andrew
A
Giannini
Caterina
C
Schreiner
Shawn A
SA
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008577:Meningeal Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D008579:Meningioma / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D008875:Middle Aged; D016634:Radiosurgery; D016896:Treatment Outcome