Anaplastic astrocytoma following radiation for a glomus jugulare tumor

Abstract

Evaluation of radiation therapy for a given neoplasm includes consideration of possible treatment complications as well as potential benefit. A 43-year-old male with a glomus jugulare tumor of the right middle ear had received 4480 rads to the right middle and inner ear and tempo,ral bone. Eight years later, he developed an anaplastic astmcytoma of the right cerebellar hemisphere. At this time a third neoplasm, a left carotid body tumor, was demonstrated angiographically. Although radiation can be implicated in the genesis of the glial neoplasm, the presence of two neural crest derived tumors suggests that a lowered threshold for neoplastic transformation in neuroectodermal cells may have been an additional factor. Long-term follow-up of large numbers of patients with glomus jugulare tumors will be necessary to determine if multiple paragangliomas predispose to radiation-associated gliomas.

Stereotactic LINAC-Radiosurgery for Glomus Jugulare Tumors: A Long-Term Follow-Up of 27 Patients

“…In one case published in 1967 a fibrosarcoma occurred 25 years after a local radium therapy [41]. The other two case reports published in 1979 and 1993 describe an anaplastic astrocytoma eight years after EBRT [43] and a low-grade fibrosarcoma 15 years after EBRT [42]. In our series we’ve not observed any treatment-induced second malignancies throughout the follow-up time.…”

“…In the literature there are three cases described in connection with the irradiation of GJTs [41–43]. In one case published in 1967 a fibrosarcoma occurred 25 years after a local radium therapy [41].…”

Paraganglioma of the head and neck region, treated with radiation therapy, a Rare Cancer Network study

“…Secondary cancers and vascular ischemic events are rare severe late toxicities . In our dataset one patient developed 2 tumors after RT, a pituitary adenoma, and a tumor of unknown histology in the contralateral neck.…”

Radiothérapie et paragangliomes jugulaires

“…Qu'il s'agisse des années plus tard de la transformation maligne du reliquat tumoral ou de la cancérisation des tissus sains traversés par les rayons, ce risque apparaît très faible, allant de 0,28 % [34] à 1/2000 [35]. La littérature rapporte quelques cas de fibrosarcome [35], d'astrocytome malin ou de gliome [36], et de méningiome [24]. Ce risque doit en effet être mis en balance avec celui, beaucoup plus certain, d'atteintes neurologiques et de complications secondaires à la progression tumorale.…”