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Radiation therapy for symptomatic vertebral haemangioma
A K Asthana1, S C Tandon, G C Pant
1Department of Radiotherapy, Institute of Medical Sciences, B.HU. Varanasi, India.
Clinical Oncology (Royal College of Radiologists (Great Britain))
|May 1, 1990
Summary
Radiation therapy effectively treats symptomatic vertebral haemangiomas, including those causing spinal cord compression. This treatment offers significant pain relief and functional recovery, even in paraplegic patients.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Neurosurgery
- Radiotherapy
Background:
- Vertebral haemangiomas are benign tumors that rarely cause spinal cord compression.
- Symptomatic cases present challenges due to hemorrhage risk during surgery.
- Radiation therapy is an alternative for severely symptomatic vertebral haemangiomas.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the efficacy of radiotherapy in treating severely symptomatic vertebral haemangiomas.
- To assess functional recovery and symptom relief in patients treated with radiation therapy.
Main Methods:
- Seventeen patients with symptomatic vertebral haemangiomas received radiotherapy (Co-60).
- Treatment involved a single posterior field with doses of 35-40 Gy over 3-4 weeks.
- Follow-up assessed pain, tenderness, numbness, paresis, and paraplegia recovery.
Main Results:
- Complete pain and tenderness relief in 87.5% of patients.
- Significant improvement in numbness and paresis in 66.7% of patients.
- Complete recovery from paraplegia in 66.6% of nine paraplegic patients.
Conclusions:
- Radiation therapy is a successful first-line treatment for severely symptomatic vertebral haemangiomas.
- An optimal dose of 35-40 Gy in 3-4 weeks yields good functional recovery.
- Longer duration of paraplegia (>6 months) may correlate with poorer treatment response.