Radiosurgery for Benign Vertebral Body Hemangiomas of the Spine: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

OBJECTIVE: Spinal vertebral hemangiomas (SVHs) are the most common benign tumors of the spine. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of radiosurgery (RS) for SVHs. METHODS: We reviewed articles published between January 1990 and December 2020 on PubMed. Tumor control, pain relief, and damage to surrounding tissues were evaluated with separate meta-analyses. This study was performed in accordance with the published Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. A total of 23 patients with 24 SVHs were reported in 3 studies. RESULTS: Follow-up time was 7.3-84 months. The vast majority of lesions were located at dorsal level (n = 18; 75%). In 20 (83.3%) patients, pain was the initial clinical presentation. Complete, partial, and stable responses after radiation were reported in 45.7% (P < 0.001), 23.6% (P = 0.02), and 37.2% (P = 0.7) of cases. Overall response was reported in 94.1% (P = 0.7). No progressive disease was reported. Pain relief was achieved in 87.5% of patients (P = 0.2). Damage to surrounding tissue caused by irradiation was reported in 22.3% (P = 0.02) of cases in 1 study, in which higher doses of radiation were delivered. CONCLUSIONS: Radiosurgery is safe and effective for SVHs. Pain relief after RS in symptomatic patients was extremely high, while no progressive disease was reported. Damage to surrounding tissues was reported in only 1 series and included osteitis, osteonecrosis, or soft tissue injury after higher radiation doses.

Automated summary

Radiosurgery is a safe and effective treatment for spinal vertebral hemangiomas. It provides significant pain relief for patients and does not result in progressive disease. However, higher radiation doses may cause damage to surrounding tissues.