Variables associated with the development of complications from radiosurgery of intracranial tumors

Lucien A. Nedzi, Hanne Kooy, Eben Alexander, Rebecca S. Gelman, Jay S. Loeffler

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

208 Scopus citations

Abstract

Between 5/21/86 and 11/1/89, we treated 64 recurrent or inoperable intracranial tumors in 60 patients (40 primary, 24 metastatic) with stereotactic radiosurgery using a modified 6 MeV linear accelerator at the Joint Center for Radiation Therapy. Patients were followed until death or 1/1/90. The median follow-up was 8 months (2-43 months). Fourteen patients experienced complications from 12 hours to 7 months (median 3 months, but only two patients more than 4 months) following radiosurgery. To determine variables related to complication, we calculated integral dose-volume histograms for 61 64 lesions and the surrounding CT-defined normal tissue. We excluded 16 lesions in 15 patients for follow-up < 4 months (12 patients) or insufficient treatment information (3 patients). The variables for which higher values were associated with significantly more toxicity in a univariate score test were: a) tumor dose inhomogeneity (p < 0.00001), b) maximum tumor dose (p = 0.00002), c) number of isocenters (p = 0.00002), d) maximum normal tissue dose (p = 0.00005) and e) tumor volume (p = 0.0001). These variables were all highly correlated with tumor dose inhomogeneity (coefficients of rank correlation 0.75 -0.81). Tumor dose inhomogeneity had a much higher loglikelihood in a logistic model than any other single variable and a higher loglikelihood than any other two variables combined. None of the 21 patients with metastatic lesions experienced a complication. When we excluded the metastatic lesions, the above five variables remained significant in univariate tests. The mean tumor dose, number of treatment arcs, total degrees of arc, tumor location, previous radiotherapy, tumor geometry, pretreatment performance status, collimator size, and age were not significantly associated with toxicity. We conclude that radiosurgery of intracranial tumors is associated with a low risk of complications for lesions < 10cc treated with a single isocenter to maximum tumor doses < 25 Gy with tumor dose inhomogeneity < 10 Gy, but that treatment of larger lesions will require new treatment strategies which reduce the tumor dose inhomogeneity associated with multiple isocenter treatments.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)591-599
Number of pages9
JournalInternational journal of radiation oncology, biology, physics
Volume21
Issue number3
DOIs
StatePublished - Aug 1991

Keywords

  • Complications
  • Dose volume histogram
  • Inhomogeneity
  • Intracranial tumors
  • Logistic model
  • Stereotactic radiosurgery

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Radiation
  • Oncology
  • Radiology Nuclear Medicine and imaging
  • Cancer Research

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Variables associated with the development of complications from radiosurgery of intracranial tumors'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this