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Updated: Jun 19, 2026
Stereotactic Radiosurgery for Gynecologic Cancer
Published on: April 17, 2012
Changes in tumor volume of sacral chordoma after carbon ion radiotherapy
Itsuko Serizawa1, Reiko Imai, Tadashi Kamada
1Research Center Hospital for Charged Particle Therapy, National Institute of Radiological Sciences, Anagawa 4-9-1, Inage-ku, Chiba 263-8555, Japan.
Objective:
We evaluated changes in tumor volume in cases of sacral chordoma after carbon ion radiotherapy.
Methods:
Thirty-four patients with sacral chordoma underwent carbon ion radiotherapy between June 1996 and June 2003. We assessed 23 patients without previous surgery using T2-weighted magnetic resonance imaging. The tumor volume was calculated semiautomatically.
Results:
Two cases showed local recurrence. The median interval of this examination was 46 months. At the end of the treatment, the tumor showed an enlargement larger than 10% of its volume in 13 of the 23 cases, no change in 4 cases, and regression in 6 cases. At the last examination, 20 cases showed a reduction in tumor volume, and the median ratio, determined as the tumor volume at the last examination divided by that before the treatment, was 0.36.
Conclusions:
An increase in tumor volume at the end of the treatment does not indicate the ineffectiveness of carbon ion radiotherapy.
