Clinical study on CyberKnife for treating giant cavernous hemangioma in cavernous sinus region

Objective To investigate the efficacy and safety of CyberKnife for giant cavernous hemangioma in cavernous sinus. Methods The data of 7 cases of giant cavernous hemangioma in cavernous sinus region confirmed by imaging examination and treated with CyberKnife were collected. The tumor volume was 11.86-70.12 cm3 (median 23.30 cm3). CT and MRI were acquired and fused by MIM 6.5.4 software. The acquired data sets were imported into a CyberKnife Robotic Radiosurgery System (Multiplan 4.0.2) and used to delineate the target organs at risk. The irradiation doses received by the lesions were 21 Gy/3 times in 5 cases, 25 Gy/5 times in one case and 30 Gy/3 times in one case. The exposure field was 109-155, and target volume reached over 95%. Patients maintained at supine positionduring treatment and utilized a 6D-skull trace mode specific to CyberKnife. Changes of clinical symptoms and imaging immediately after treatment and during follow-up period were observed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of this therapeutic method. Results Patients were followed-up for 6-18 months, and the meanfollow-up period was 9.37 months. Volumes of lesions were calculated after operation. All of these patients showed decrease in tumor volume (35.48% to 84.03% ) and improvement in symptoms (including visual impairment, visual field defect and headaches) after therapy. Postoperative MRI revealed the tumor volume was 6.75-28.35 cm3 (median 10.50 cm3), which were significantly lower than that of before treatment [11.86-70.12 cm3 (median 23.30 cm3); Z = -2.366, P = 0.018]. Only one case presented radioactive cerebral edema, and the symptom was disappeared after 5-day treatment with mannitol and dexamethasone. Conclusions CyberKnife is an effective treatment method for giant cavernous hemangioma in cavernous sinus region. It is suggested to be the first selection for patients with giant cavernous hemangioma in cavernous sinus, who are not suitable for traditional surgeries and general radiotherapy. DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.1672-6731.2015.10.008