title: Review of photon and proton radiotherapy for skull base tumours.
abstract: An extremely large variety of benign and malignant tumours occur at skull base; these tumour lesions are in the proximity to structures deputed to relevant physiologic functions, limiting extensive surgical approaches to this body district. Most recent progresses of surgery and radiotherapy have allowed to improve local control with acceptable rates of side effects. Various photon radiotherapy techniques are employed, including 3-dimensional conformal radiotherapy, intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT), stereotactic radiotherapy (SRT) and brachytherapy that is manly limited to the treatment of primary or recurrent nasopharyngeal carcinoma. Proton beam radiotherapy is also extensively used thanks to its physical characteristics. Our review, focusing in particular on meningioma, chordoma, and chondrosarcoma, suggests that proton therapy plays a major role in the treatment of malignant tumours whereas photon therapy still plays a relevant role in the treatment of benign tumour lesions.
authors.affiliation: Radiotherapy Division, IEO, Milan, Italy; Centro Nazionale Adroterapia Oncologica (CNAO), Pavia, Italy.
authors.forename: Piero
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Fossati
authors.affiliation: Radiotherapy Division, IEO, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Vavassori
authors.affiliation: Radiotherapy Division, University Hospital "Maggiore della Carità", Novara, Italy; Department of Translational Medicine, University of "Piemonte Orientale", Novara, Italy.
authors.forename: Letizia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Deantonio
authors.affiliation: Radiotherapy Division, University Hospital "Maggiore della Carità", Novara, Italy.
authors.forename: Eleonora
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ferrara
authors.affiliation: Centro Nazionale Adroterapia Oncologica (CNAO), Pavia, Italy; Radiotherapy Division, University Hospital "Maggiore della Carità", Novara, Italy; Department of Translational Medicine, University of "Piemonte Orientale", Novara, Italy.
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Krengli
authors.affiliation: Radiotherapy Division, IEO, Milan, Italy; Centro Nazionale Adroterapia Oncologica (CNAO), Pavia, Italy.
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Orecchia
keywords: Radiotherapy; Skull base tumours; Technique