Definitive radiotherapy in the management of paragangliomas arising in the head and neck: A 35‐year experience

Background. An evaluation of the treatment results for 104 patients with 121 paragangliomas of the temporal bone, carotid body, and/or glomus vagale who were treated with radiation therapy (RT) at the University of Florida between 1968 and 2004. Methods. Eighty‐nine paragangliomas (86%) were treated with conventional megavoltage techniques, 15 (14%) patients with stereotactic fractionated radiation therapy, 6 (6%) patients with stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS), and 11 (11%) patients with intensity‐modulated radiation therapy (IMRT). Results. There were 6 local recurrences. One recurrence was salvaged with additional RT. The actuarial local control and cause‐specific survival rates at 10 years were 94% and 95%. The overall local control rate for all 121 lesions was 95%; the ultimate local control rate was 96%. The incidence of treatment‐related complications was low. Conclusion. Fractionated RT offers a high probability of tumor control with minimal risks for patients with paragangliomas of the temporal bone and neck. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck, 2008