Role of Stereotactic Radiosurgery for Cavernous Sinus Hemangiomas - An Individual Patient Data-Based Meta-Analysis

Context: Cavernous sinus haemangiomas (CSHs) are rare vascular malformations arising from the micro-circulation of the cavernous sinus. The current treatment options are micro-surgical excision of CSH, stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS), and fractionated radiation therapy (FRT). Aims: We conducted a meta-analysis assessing the effect and complications of SRS in CSH and compared the pooled results after surgical excision of CSH. The aim of the study is to provide valuable insight into the role of SRS in the treatment of CSHs. Materials and Methods: The literature search revealed a total of 21 articles with 199 patients who met our inclusion criteria, and these were analyzed for this study. Results: There were 138 (69.3%) female and 61 (30.7%) male patients. The mean age at the time of radiosurgery was 48.4 +/- 14.9 years. The mean tumor volume at the time of SRS was 17.4 cm(3) (range 0.3-138 cm(3)). Fifty (25%) patients had undergone surgery before SRS, whereas 149 (75%) patients received standalone SRS. A total of 186 (93.5%) patients were treated by gamma knife radiosurgery (GKRS), whereas 13 got treated by Cyberknife. The mean tumor volume in CK-F, GKRS, and GKRS-F groups was 36.6 +/- 26.3, 15.4 +/- 18.4, and 86.0 +/- 19.5 cm(3), respectively. The mean marginal dose was 21.8 +/- 2.9 Gy, 14.0 +/- 1.9 Gy, and 25 +/- 0.0 Gy in CK-F, GKRS, and GKRS-F groups, respectively. The mean marginal dose of SRS was 14.6 +/- 2.9 Gy. The mean follow-up period after SRS was 35.8 +/- 31.6 months. Significant clinical improvement was seen in 106 patients out of 116 (91.4%) after SRS with remarkable shrinkage, 22 patients out of 27 (81.5%) with minimal shrinkage, and nine patients out of 13 (69.2%) with stationary tumor shrinkage. The sixth cranial nerve (CN6) was the most commonly involved nerve in 73 patients (36.7%). 30/65 (89%) experienced an improvement in the abducent nerve function following SRS. 115/120 (95.8%) patients primary treated with SRS experienced clinical improvement, whereas the rest of the five patients remained clinically stable. Conclusion: Radiosurgery SRS is a safe and effective option in patients with CSHs and resulted in more than 50% decrease in tumor volume in 72.4% of the patients.

Automated summary

This study conducted a meta-analysis to assess the effects and complications of stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) in treating cavernous sinus haemangiomas (CSHs), and compared it to surgical excision. The results showed that SRS is a safe and effective option, with over 50% reduction in tumor volume for the majority of patients.