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Radiotherapy and Radiosurgery

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Midline Skull Base Surgery

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Abstract

Surgery is the primary treatment modality for patients with craniopharyngiomas. Complete surgical excision is associated with a 5-year tumor growth control of 70–90 % in either adult or pediatric series [1, 2]. For uncompleted resected craniopharyngiomas, local control can be improved with the use of radiotherapy (RT) [3–5]. A few retrospective studies have demonstrated that partial resection followed by RT may provide outcomes comparable to those achieved with complete resection with lower incidence of toxicity as compared with aggressive surgery [6–9]. Modern RT has seen technical advances in all aspects of treatment with better immobilization, imaging, treatment planning, and dose delivery. In the last two decades, stereotactic radiation techniques, either stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) or fractionated stereotactic radiotherapy (FSRT), have been employed in patients with craniopharyngioma with the aim of treating less normal brain and minimizing the long-term consequences of conventional RT while improving its effectiveness. In addition, there is a renewed interest in particle therapy with protons and ions, because of their physical and biological properties.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Radiation Oncology Unit, Department of Radiation Oncology, Sant’ Andrea Hospital, University Sapienza, Via di Grottarossa 1035, Rome, 00189, Italy

    Giuseppe Minniti MD & Claudia Scaringi MD

  2. Department of Neuroscience, Neuromed Institute, Pozzilli (IS), Italy

    Giuseppe Minniti MD

Authors
  1. Giuseppe Minniti MD
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  2. Claudia Scaringi MD
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Correspondence to Giuseppe Minniti MD .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Div. of Neurosurgery Dept. of Neuroscien, University of Naples “Federico II” , Naples, Italy

    Paolo Cappabianca

  2. Div. of Neurosurgery Dept. of Neuroscien, University of Naples “Federico II” , Naples, Italy

    Luigi Maria Cavallo

  3. Div. of Neurosurgery Dept. of Neuroscien, University of Naples “Federico II” , Naples, Italy

    Oreste de Divitiis

  4. Div. of Neurosurgery Dept. of Neuroscien, University of Messina , Messina, Messina, Italy

    Felice Esposito

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Minniti, G., Scaringi, C. (2016). Radiotherapy and Radiosurgery. In: Cappabianca, P., Cavallo, L., de Divitiis, O., Esposito, F. (eds) Midline Skull Base Surgery. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-21533-4_14

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-21533-4_14

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-21532-7

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-21533-4

  • eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

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