Chordoid meningioma is a rare subtype of meningioma, and is often found supratentorially. There is an absence of association with Castleman's syndrome. Aggressive factors and the extent of resection are helpful in predicting recurrence. It might be more pertinent to downgrade CM to grade I, unless it shows aggressive factors.

Cavernous sinus hemangioma is a rare and complex vascular tumor. A direct microsurgical approach usually results in massive hemorrhage. Stereotactic radiosurgery has emerged as a treatment alternative to microsurgery. To conduct a meta-analysis assessing the effect and complications of stereotactic radiosurgery in cavernous sinus hemangioma, a systematic review and meta-analysis of all cases of cavernous hemangioma in the cavernous sinus treated with stereotactic radiosurgery was performed. The search revealed ten papers with a total enrollment of 59 patients. Tumor size ranged from 1.5-51.4 cm(3) (mean 9.6 cm(3)). The mean follow-up period was 49.2 months (range 6-156 months). The most recent MR images demonstrated remarkable tumor shrinkage in 40 patients (67.8%), partial shrinkage in 15 patients (25.4%), and no change in four patients (6.8%). There was no significant correlation between lesion volume and tumor shrinkage. Patients with remarkable tumor shrinkage received higher doses than those with partial or no change tumor shrinkage (P = 0.031). Thirteen patients (22.0%) had no cranial nerve impairments before stereotactic radiosurgery. Among those 46 patients with cranial nerve impairments before stereotactic radiosurgery, complete resolution was achieved in seven patients and improvement in 28, and these impairments remained essentially unchanged in 11 patients. Only one patient had additional trigeminal nerve disturbance. There is no statistical significance in tumor control between patients treated with or without surgery (P = 0.091). The meta-analysis suggests stereotactic radiosurgery avoids the complications associated with attempted microsurgical resection. Stereotactic radiosurgery is an alternative for cavernous sinus hemangiomas confirmed by typical imaging.

Bevacizumab blocks the effects of vascular endothelial growth factor in leakage-prone capillaries and has been suggested as a new treatment for cerebral radiation edema and necrosis. CyberKnife is a new, frameless stereotactic radiosurgery system. This work investigated the safety and efficacy of CyberKnife followed by early bevacizumab treatment for brain metastasis with extensive cerebral edema. The eligibility criteria of the patients selected for radiosurgery followed by early use of adjuvant bevacizumab treatment were: (1) brain tumors from metastasis with one solitary brain lesion and symptomatic extensive cerebral edema; (2) >18 years of age; (3) the patient refused surgery due to the physical conditions and the risk of surgery; (4) no contraindications for bevacizumab. (5) bevacizumab was applied for a minimum of 2 injections and a maximum of 6 injections with a 2-week interval between treatments, beginning within 2 weeks of the CyberKnife therapy; (6) Karnofsky performance status (KPS) ≥30. Tumor size and edema were monitored by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Dexamethasone dosage, KPS, adverse event occurrence and associated clinical outcomes were also recorded. Eight patients were accrued for this new treatment. Radiation dose ranged from 20 to 33 Gy in one to five sessions, prescribed to the 61-71 % isodose line. Bevacizumab therapy was administered 3-10 days after completion of CyberKnife treatment for a minimum of two cycles (5 mg/kg, at 2-week intervals). MRI revealed average reductions of 55.8 % (post-gadolinium) and 63.4 % (T2/FLAIR). Seven patients showed significant clinical neurological improvements. Dexamethasone was reduced in all patients, with five successfully discontinuing dexamethasone treatment 4 weeks after bevacizumab initiation. Hypertension, a bevacizumab-related adverse event, occurred in one patient. After 3-8 months, all patients studied were alive and primary brain metastases were under control, 2 developed new brain metastases and underwent salvage CyberKnife treatment. Recurrent edema and emerging radiation necrosis were not observed. CyberKnife radiosurgery followed by early use of bevacizumab is promising and appears safe for treatment of brain metastases with extensive cerebral edema.