Purpose: We performed this retrospective study to investigate the outcomes of patients with hemangioma of the cavernous sinus after fractionated radiotherapy.
Materials and methods: We analyzed 10 patients with hemangioma of the cavernous sinus who were treated with conventional radiotherapy between January 2000 and December 2016. The median patient age was 54 years (range, 31-65 years), and 8 patients (80.0%) were female. The mean hemangioma volume was 34.1 cm3 (range, 6.8-83.2 cm3), and fractionated radiation was administered to a total dose of 50-54 Gy with a daily dose of 2 Gy.
Results: The median follow-up period was 6.8 years (range, 2.2-8.8 years). At last follow-up, the volume of the tumor had decreased in all patients. The average tumor volume reduction rate from the initial volume was 72.9% (range, 18.9-95.3%). All 10 of the cranial neuropathies observed before radiation therapy had improved, with complete symptomatic remission in 9 cases (90%) and partial remission in 1 case (10%). No new acute neurologic impairments were reported after radiotherapy. One probable compressive optic neuropathy was observed at 1 year after radiotherapy.
Conclusion: Fractionated radiotherapy achieves both symptomatic and radiologic improvements. It is a well-tolerated treatment modality for hemangiomas of the cavernous sinus.
Keywords: Cavernous sinus; Hemangioma; Radiotherapy.