Gamma knife radiosurgery for residual skull base chordomas

Abstract Objective: The location of chordomas within the base of the skull and cervical junction prevents complete resection from being achieved. Previous series have shown that stereotactic radiosurgery can be used as a treatment for residual chordomas with good overall results. In the present study, we reviewed our experience in using gamma knife surgery (GKS) to treat patients with residual skull base chordomas. Methods: Thirty-one patients with residual skull base chordomas underwent gamma knife radiosurgery from June 1996 to December 2004. The mean age of patients was 40.2 years (range: 8–70 years). There were 20 male and 11 females. The post-operative tumor volume treated with GKS ranged from 0.47 to 27.6 cm3, with a mean of 11.4 ± 7.4 cm3. The mean tumor margin radiation dose was 12.7 Gy (range: 10–16 Gy), and the mean maximum dose was 29.2 Gy (range: 20.8–40 Gy). Twenty-eight patients were available for follow-up reviews, ranging from 6 to 102 months (mean: 30.2 months) and from 6 to 78 months (me...