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Radiotherapy and Radiosurgery

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Midline Skull Base Surgery

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Abstract

External beam radiotherapy is an essential component of treatment of patients with benign skull base tumors. Radiotherapy is generally used in patients with residual or recurrent pituitary adenomas following surgery, with the aim of preventing tumor regrowth and normalizing elevated hormone levels. It is successful in achieving tumor control in up to 90–95 % of patients at 10 years, though excess hormone secretion may take some time to subside. However, despite the evidence that radiation reduces the rate of local recurrence and the low risk of toxicity when the treatment is delivered within the radiation tolerance limits of central nervous system, the role of postoperative radiation for these tumors is debated.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Radiation Oncology Unit, Department of Radiation Oncology, Sant’ Andrea Hospital, University Sapienza, Via di Grottarossa 1035, Rome, 00189, Italy

    Giuseppe Minniti MD & Claudia Scaringi MD

  2. Department of Neuroscience, Neuromed Institute, Pozzilli (IS), Italy

    Giuseppe Minniti MD

Authors
  1. Giuseppe Minniti MD
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  2. Claudia Scaringi MD
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Correspondence to Giuseppe Minniti MD .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Div. of Neurosurgery Dept. of Neuroscien, University of Naples “Federico II” , Naples, Italy

    Paolo Cappabianca

  2. Div. of Neurosurgery Dept. of Neuroscien, University of Naples “Federico II” , Naples, Italy

    Luigi Maria Cavallo

  3. Div. of Neurosurgery Dept. of Neuroscien, University of Naples “Federico II” , Naples, Italy

    Oreste de Divitiis

  4. Div. of Neurosurgery Dept. of Neuroscien, University of Messina , Messina, Messina, Italy

    Felice Esposito

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Minniti, G., Scaringi, C. (2016). Radiotherapy and Radiosurgery. In: Cappabianca, P., Cavallo, L., de Divitiis, O., Esposito, F. (eds) Midline Skull Base Surgery. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-21533-4_4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-21533-4_4

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-21532-7

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-21533-4

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