Efficacy and tolerability of gamma knife radiosurgery in acromegaly: a 10-year follow-up study.
OBJECTIVE
The long-term efficacy and safety of stereotactic radiosurgery by gamma knife (GK) still remain unknown. The aim of the study was to investigate the long-term efficacy and tolerability of GK in acromegalic patients.


METHODS
Retrospective analysis for a median follow-up of 10 years. Thirty-five acromegalic patients from two referral centres in Milan submitted to GK (median margin dose: 20 Gy, median % isodose: 50) between 1995 and 2004.


METHODS
GH/IGF-I secretion, anterior pituitary function, radiological imaging and ophthalmological data.


RESULTS
Cure rate improved over time (up to 46% at 10 years), as did the proportion of patients achieving control on somatostatin analogues (from 12.5% at baseline to 50% at 10 years). Normal IGF-I values were observed in 82% of patients at their last visit. No visual impairment, disease recurrence, tumour growth or secondary cerebral tumour occurred. Half of the patients developed one or more new deficiencies, while two patients normalized their prior failures. In particular, new onset of clinical or subclinical hypoadrenalism occurred in 12/30 patients (40%), hypothyroidism in 3/28 (11%), hypogonadism in 2/15 (13%) and GH deficiency in 2/35 (6%). GH value at the time of GK was the best negative predictor of cure and margin dose was the best positive predictor of new hypopituitarism.


CONCLUSIONS
Over a 10-year period after GK radiosurgery, an increasing percentage of patients achieve cure, or adequate control of the disease on pharmacological therapy, at the expense of increasing novel pituitary deficiencies.
Ronchi
Cristina L
CL
Department of Medical Sciences, University of Milan, Milan Unit of Endocrinology and Diabetology, Fondazione Ospedale Maggiore IRCCS, Milan, Italy. cristina.ronchi@unimi.it
Attanasio
Roberto
R
Verrua
Elisa
E
Cozzi
Renato
R
Ferrante
Emanuele
E
Loli
Paola
P
Montefusco
Laura
L
Motti
Enrico
E
Ferrari
Daniela I
DI
Giugni
Enrico
E
Beck-Peccoz
Paolo
P
Arosio
Maura
M
D000172:Acromegaly / Q000601:surgery*; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016634:Radiosurgery / Q000379:methods*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016896:Treatment Outcome