Combined treatment for tumours of the base of the skull

Abstract

Aim

Tumours situated in the region of the base of the skull are at the limits of possibility for radical resection and in patients with malignant tumours it is necessary to use combined methods of treatment. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the early results of combined treatment tumours of the base of the skull.

Materials/Methods

Between 1994 and 2004 68 patients with malignant tumours of the base of the skull and 10 with benign tumours were treated by an interdisciplinary group. Treatment included surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy.

Results

After a period of post operative observation (median length 19 months), 32 patients with malignant tumours were without recurrence of disease, 8 lived with the tumour, 21 died as a result of disease progression and 4 died of other causes. Information was unavailable for 3 patients. Among 10 patients with benign tumours, 5 lived without symptoms of disease and 5 with the tumour.

Conclusions

Because of the limited possibilities regarding radical removal of malignant tumours in the region of the base of the skull, combined treatment using radiotherapy, surgery and, in some cases, chemo therapy is standard. Use of aggressive treatments gave local control in about half the patients though further observation is necessary in order to assess later oncological results.