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Background: For meningiomas, complete resection is recommended as first-line treatment while stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) is established for meningiomas of smaller size considered inoperable. If the patient´s medical condition or preference excludes surgery, SRS remains a treatment option. We evaluated the efficacy and safety of SRS in a cohort comprising these cases., Methods: In this retrospective single-centre analysis we included patients receiving single fraction SRS either by modified LINAC or robotic guidance by Cyberknife for potentially resectable intracranial meningiomas. Treatment-related adverse events as well as local and regional control rates were determined from follow-up imaging and estimated by the Kaplan-Meier method., Results: We analyzed 188 patients with 218 meningiomas. The median radiological, and clinical follow-up periods were 51.4 (6.2-289.6) and 55.8 (6.2-300.9) months. The median tumor volume was 4.2 ml (0.1-22), and the mean marginal radiation dose was 13.0 ± 3.1 Gy, with reference to the 80.0 ± 11.2% isodose level. Local recurrence was observed in one case (0.5%) after 239 months. The estimated 2-, 5-, 10- and 15-year regional recurrence rates were 1.5%, 3.0%, 6.6% and 6.6%, respectively. Early adverse events (≤ 6 months after SRS) occurred in 11.2% (CTCEA grade 1-2) and resolved during follow-up in 7.4% of patients, while late adverse events were documented in 14.4% (grade 1-2; one case grade 3). Adverse effects (early and late) were associated with the presence of symptoms or neurological deficits prior to SRS (p < 0.03) and correlated with the treatment volume (p < 0.02)., Conclusion: In this analysis SRS appears to be an effective treatment for patients with meningiomas eligible for complete resection and provides reliable long-term local tumor control with low rates of mild morbidity.

Background: Stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) is widely accepted as a therapeutic option for meningiomas (M) and vestibular schwannomas (VS). However, data on outcome and toxicity in the elderly population have rarely been reported in detail., Methods: All patients aged ≥ 65 years with M or VS who underwent single fraction SRS were included. Patient data were analyzed in terms of clinical tumor control and incidence of early and late treatment related complications, which were graded according to the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE), RESULTS: We identified 245 patients with benign brain tumors (129 M and 116 VS, median tumor volume 2.9 ml, range 0.1-28). The median age was 71 years (range 65-86) and the mean follow-up times were 42 months (range 2-181). Tumors were irradiated with a median dose of 12.4 Gy. Actuarial clinical and radiological tumor control rates at 2, 5, and 10 years after SRS were 98%, 93%, and 88%, respectively. Recurrent tumors after previous treatment had a higher probability of post-radiosurgical progression (p < 0.001). Permanent toxicity (CTCAE I/II) were noted in 5.7%. No severe adverse events were observed during early and late follow up, although patients > 70 years had a slightly higher risk for toxicity (p = 0.027). The presence and extent of co-morbidities had no significant influence on local tumor control or toxicity., Conclusion: SRS provides favorable tumor control with low risk for treatment-related severe complications. Thus, SRS should always be considered as treatment option for benign intracranial tumors (meningiomas, schwannomas), especially in the group of elderly patients.