Late-onset cystic brain necrosis after radiotherapy for nasopharyngeal carcinoma

Cystic brain radionecrosis (CBRN) is a late-onset devastating complication after radiotherapy for head and neck neoplasms, especially for nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). To our knowledge, it has scarcely been reported. We retrospectively reviewed all available medical records of NPC patients with CB...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Japanese journal of clinical oncology 2017-06, Vol.47 (6), p.499-504
Main Authors: Fang, Wenli, Gu, Beibei, Jing, Xiuna, Xiao, Songhua, Fan, Shengnuo, Liao, Wang, Zheng, Yuqiu, Liu, Jun
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Aged
Brain - pathology
Carcinoma - pathology
Carcinoma - radiotherapy
Cysts - pathology
Female
Humans
Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Male
Middle Aged
Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma
Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms - pathology
Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms - radiotherapy
Necrosis
Neoplasm Recurrence, Local - pathology
Prognosis
Radiation Injuries - etiology
Radiotherapy Dosage
Retrospective Studies
Risk Factors
Treatment Outcome
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Cystic brain radionecrosis (CBRN) is a late-onset devastating complication after radiotherapy for head and neck neoplasms, especially for nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). To our knowledge, it has scarcely been reported. We retrospectively reviewed all available medical records of NPC patients with CBRN who were treated with surgical intervention. Sixteen patients were identified in this study and the mean latency of CBRN was 9.2 ± 0.9 years. The total irradiation dose of the nasopharynx ranged from 60 to 78 Gy. Cyst-like lesions were observed and there were slightly enhancements on the cyst wall in five patients on patients' brain MRI. All the included patients underwent surgical resection of the cystic necrotic lesion thought temporal approach. Specimens from surgery revealed reactive gliosis and immunopositive cytokines including TNF-α, IL-6 and HIF-2α. Only one patient experienced recurrence and received reoperation after surgery. All the other patients made a good recovery and no operation-related mortality was observed. CBRN is a delayed but irreversible neurological sequel in irradiated NPC patients. Post-radiotherapy follow-up is quite necessary for those with high risk of CBRN. Proper treatment is needed for early CBRN patients to suppress inflammation in the brain. Timely neurosurgery may benefit patients with late-stage CBRN by alleviating increased intracranial pressure and inflammatory responses.
ISSN:0368-2811
1465-3621
DOI:10.1093/jjco/hyx028