Adjunctive treatment of cranial base malignacies

Area of Science:

• Neurosurgery
• Oncology
• Radiation Oncology

Background:

• Surgical techniques and adjunctive therapies have expanded indications for skull base tumor surgery.
• Achieving clear tumor margins in skull base surgery is challenging due to potential harm to surrounding structures.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review current and future adjunctive treatments for cranial base malignancies.
• To discuss ongoing phase I and II trials of radiation and chemotherapy.

Main Methods:

• Review of current literature on skull base tumor treatments.
• Discussion of ongoing clinical trials for radiation and chemotherapy.

Main Results:

• Surgical success in skull base tumor removal is often limited by the difficulty of achieving clear margins without significant morbidity.
• Current phase I and II trials are exploring the efficacy of various radiation and chemotherapy regimens.

Conclusions:

• Advances in surgical techniques and adjunctive therapies are improving outcomes for skull base tumors.
• Future research in radiation and chemotherapy holds promise for further enhancing treatment efficacy and reducing patient morbidity.