Preliminary results of helical tomotherapy in patients with complex-shaped meningiomas close to the optic pathway

Meningiomas are the most common benign intracranial tumor. Meningiomas close to the optic pathway represent a treatment challenge both for surgery and radiotherapy. The aim of this article is to describe early results of helical tomotherapy treatment in complex-shaped meningiomas close to the optic pathway. Twenty-eight patients were consecutively treated. All patients were immobilized with a thermoplastic head mask and planned with the aid of a magnetic resonance imaging-computed tomography fusion. All treatments included daily image guidance. Pretreatment symptoms and acute toxicity were recorded. Median age was 57.5 years, and 92.8% patients had Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status scale ≤1. The most common localizations were the sella turcica, followed by the cavernous sinus and the sphenoid. The most common symptoms were derived from cranial nerve deficits. Tomotherapy was administered as primary treatment in 35.7% of patients, as an adjuvant treatment in 32.4%, and as a rescue treatment after postsurgical progression in 32.1% patients. Most patients were either inoperable or Simpson IV. Total dose varied between 5000 and 5400 cGy; fractionation varied between 180 and 200 cGy. Median dose to the planning target volume was 51.7 Gy (range, 50.2-55.9 Gy). Median coverage index was 0.89 (range, 0.18-0.97). Median homogeneity index was 1.05 (range, 1-1.12). Acute transient toxicity was grade 1 and included headache in 35.7% patients, ocular pain/dryness in 28.5%, and radiation dermatitis in 25%. Thus far, with a maximal follow-up of 3 years, no late effects have been seen and all patients have a radiological stabilization of the disease. Helical tomotherapy offered a safe and effective therapeutic alternative for patients with inoperable or subtotally resected complex-shaped meningiomas close to the optic pathway. Acceptable coverage and homogeneity indexes were achieved with appropriate values for maximal doses delivered to the eyes, lenses, and chiasm, despite the proximity of the tumor to these structures.