Definitive radiotherapy in the management of paragangliomas arising in the head and neck: a 35-year experience.

BACKGROUND An evaluation of the treatment results for 104 patients with 121 paragangliomas of the temporal bone, carotid body, and/or glomus vagale who were treated with radiation therapy (RT) at the University of Florida between 1968 and 2004. METHODS Eighty-nine paragangliomas (86%) were treated with conventional megavoltage techniques, 15 (14%) patients with stereotactic fractionated radiation therapy, 6 (6%) patients with stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS), and 11 (11%) patients with intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT). RESULTS There were 6 local recurrences. One recurrence was salvaged with additional RT. The actuarial local control and cause-specific survival rates at 10 years were 94% and 95%. The overall local control rate for all 121 lesions was 95%; the ultimate local control rate was 96%. The incidence of treatment-related complications was low. CONCLUSION Fractionated RT offers a high probability of tumor control with minimal risks for patients with paragangliomas of the temporal bone and neck.