title: Radiation techniques for acromegaly.
abstract: Radiotherapy (RT) remains an effective treatment in patients with acromegaly refractory to medical and/or surgical interventions, with durable tumor control and biochemical remission; however, there are still concerns about delayed biochemical effect and potential late toxicity of radiation treatment, especially high rates of hypopituitarism. Stereotactic radiotherapy has been developed as a more accurate technique of irradiation with more precise tumour localization and consequently a reduction in the volume of normal tissue, particularly the brain, irradiated to high radiation doses. Radiation can be delivered in a single fraction by stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) or as fractionated stereotactic radiotherapy (FSRT) in which smaller doses are delivered over 5-6 weeks in 25-30 treatments. A review of the recent literature suggests that pituitary irradiation is an effective treatment for acromegaly. Stereotactic techniques for GH-secreting pituitary tumors are discussed with the aim to define the efficacy and potential adverse effects of each of these techniques.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroscience, Neuromed Institute, Pozzilli, IS, Italy. gminniti@ospedalesantandrea.it
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Minniti
authors.forename: Claudia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Scaringi
authors.forename: Riccardo Maurizi
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Enrici
mesh_terms: D000172:Acromegaly / Q000209:etiology / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D000236:Adenoma / Q000150:complications / Q000532:radiotherapy; D019583:Dose Fractionation, Radiation; D006801:Humans; D007018:Hypopituitarism / Q000209:etiology; D010911:Pituitary Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000532:radiotherapy; D011878:Radiotherapy / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods*