Stereotactic radiosurgery for intracranial tumors: a single center experience

Stereotactic radiosurgery is being increasingly used for the treatment of both benign and malignant disorders such as brain metastasis, spinal cord tumors, intracranial blood vessel abnormalities and neurological/functional problems such as Parkinson’s disease, epilepsy, obsessive-compulsive disorder and trigeminal neuralgia. The purpose of this report was to present our experience at the Department of Radiation Oncology of Gulhane Military Medical Faculty using linear accelerator-based stereotactic radiosurgery technology and to examine the efficacy and safety of radiosurgery in the treatment of the most common intracranial tumors and functional disorders. More than 400 treatments have been performed using stereotactic radiosurgery between 1998 and 2010 for intracranial benign and malignant lesions along with functional disorders. In this study, patients treated using stereotactic radiosurgery were retrospectively examined to determine the radiosurgical parameters, duration of follow-up, treatment response and patient survival. Functional, radiological and clinical improvement was achieved in most of the patients treated using stereotactic radiosurgery either by improving local control, providing decompression, obliteration of pathologic vessels, or preventing hemorrhages. Stereotactic radiosurgery offers a safe and effective treatment approach for intracranial benign/malignant lesions and functional disorders leading to improved local control, survival and quality of life.