title: Short-term therapeutic effects of low-dose cytarabine plus surgical resection on elderly patients with trigeminal nerve tumor and safety observation.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the short-term therapeutic effects of low-dose cytarabine plus surgical resection on elderly patients with trigeminal nerve tumor and to observe the safety.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 120 elderly patients with trigeminal nerve tumor were divided into a treatment group and a control group by random draw (n=60), and both groups were subjected to resection by stereotactic image-guided endoscopic nasal surgery. Afterwards, the control group was administered with high-dose cytarabine while the treatment group was given low-dose cytarabine for 14 days.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Both groups completed treatment, but the effective rate of the treatment group (96.7%) was significantly higher than that of the control group (83.3%) (P < 0.05). The pain scores of the two groups were similar at T0, T1 and T2, but the score of the treatment group at T2 was significantly different from those at T0 and T1 (P < 0.05). During treatment, the treatment group was significantly less prone to complications such as headache, vomiting, vision impairment, nausea and local swelling than the control group (P < 0.05). During three months of follow-up, the appetite, sleep and daily living scores were significantly higher than those of the control group (P < 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Stereotactic image-guided surgery was able to treat trigeminal nerve tumor well, and the effect was enhanced by low-dose cytarabine that improved postoperative outcomes and quality of life by dramatically decreasing complications.
authors: Xiang-Sheng Li, Department of Neurosurgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xinxiang Medical University, Weihui 453100, PR China.
authors: Xiang-Sheng
authors: XS
authors: Li
authors: Wei-Long Yang, Department of Neurosurgery, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang 453003, PR China.
authors: Wei-Long
authors: WL
authors: Yang
authors: Fa-Zheng Shen, Department of Neurosurgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xinxiang Medical University, Weihui 453100, PR China.
authors: Fa-Zheng
authors: FZ
authors: Shen
authors: Guo-Jun Gao, Department of Neurosurgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xinxiang Medical University, Weihui 453100, PR China.
authors: Guo-Jun
authors: GJ
authors: Gao
authors: Ji-Wei Ma, Department of Neurosurgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xinxiang Medical University, Weihui 453100, PR China.
authors: Ji-Wei
authors: JW
authors: Ma
authors: Bao-Zhe Jin, Department of Neurosurgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xinxiang Medical University, Weihui 453100, PR China.
authors: Bao-Zhe
authors: BZ
authors: Jin
keywords: Cytarabine; Dose; Safety; Surgical resection; Trigeminal nerve tumor