Treatment results of craniopharyngiomas

Abstract

Treatment results on 109 patients with craniopharyngioma treated surgically or by combined surgery and radiation therapy are reported. The five- and ten-year survival rates were 62.9% and 48%, respectively, for 74 patients treated primarily with surgery. For 32 patients treated with combined surgery and radiation therapy, the survival rates were 82.2% and 71%. The 74 patients treated with surgery but no radiotherapy had five- and ten-year relapse-free survival rates of 31.5% and 17.4%, respectively, and for the 32 patients treated with combined surgery and radiation therapy, these relapse-free survival rates were 76.3% and 43.8%, respectively. The survival and relapse-free survival rates were better for children. Morbidity and mortality were higher in patients who were reoperated on for recurrent tumors. Our data indicate that radiation therapy should play a major role in the initial combined management of cranio-pharyngiomas especially when the lesion cannot be totally resected and when postoperative CT scan shows residual tumors. Cancer 47:847–852, 1981.