Failure of radiation therapy for brain involvement in Erdheim Chester disease

A patient with suprasellar and brain stem involvement in Erdheim Chester disease (ECD) underwent magnetic resonance (MR) imaging and proton MR spectroscopy (1H MRS) of the ventral pons before and 1, 4 and 18 months after external whole-brain (24 Gy) radiotherapy. By revealing a decrease of the N-acetyl-aspartate/choline ratio in the pons, 1H MR spectroscopy anticipated lesions growth on MR imaging. In line with the results in four patients reported in the literature, our observation indicates that external radiation therapy is not effective for intracranial involvement in ECD.