Journal of Neurosurgery, Volume 0, Issue 0, Page 1-12, Ahead of Print.
Salvatore Di Maio, M.D.C.M., F.R.C.S.C., Nancy Temkin, Ph.D., Dinesh Ramanathan, M.D., and Laligam N. Sekhar, M.D.
Object
The role of surgery and adjuvant radiation therapy for cranial base chordomas is not well established. This meta-analysis measures the relationship of complete resection and type of adjuvant radiation therapy to 5-year progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) of cranial base chordomas.
Methods
A systematic MEDLINE search (1999–present) yielded 23 observational studies and 807 patients who fit inclusion criteria. The following analyses were performed: 1) Kaplan-Meier 5-year PFS and OS compared based on the extent of resection and type of adjuvant radiation therapy using the log-rank method; 2) a random-effects model comparing 5-year PFS with complete or incomplete resection; and 3) paired z-test comparisons of weighted average 5-year OS and PFS grouped by type of adjuvant radiation therapy.
Results
The weighted average follow-up was 53.6 months. The weighted average 5-year PFS and OS were 50.8% and 78.4%, respectively. Complete resection conferred a higher 5-year PFS than incomplete resection from the random effects model (mean difference in PFS 20.7%; 95% CI 6.57%–34.91%). Patients with incomplete resection were 3.83 times more likely to experience a recurrence (95% CI 1.63–9.00) and 5.85 times more likely to die (95% CI 1.40–24.5) at 5 years versus patients with complete resection. There was no difference in 5-year OS by type of adjuvant radiation, although 5-year PFS was lower in patients receiving Gamma Knife surgery relative to carbon ion radiotherapy (p = 0.042) on paired z-test. No survival difference occurred between radiation therapy techniques on Kaplan-Meier analysis of compiled patient data.
Conclusions
Patients with complete resection of cranial base chordomas have a prolonged 5-year PFS and OS. Adjuvant proton-beam, carbon ion, and modern fractionated photon radiation therapy techniques offered a similar rate of PFS and OS at 5 years.
http://thejns.org/doi/abs/10.3171/2011.7.JNS11355?ai=ru&mi=0&af=R
