Two Ways to Give Gamma Knife for Large Meningiomas
Original title: Single-Session Versus Hypofractionated Gamma Knife Radiosurgery for Large Parasagittal Meningiomas: A Retrospective Comparative Study.
How far along is this research?
- Lab cells
- Animals
- Review
- Tested in people
This was tested in people. That is the most reliable kind of research we share.
Both ways of giving stereotactic radiosurgery: Radiation aimed at a small target, in one visit or a few. There is no cutting, despite the name. See the glossary are already used in care today, but this study only looked back at past records.
The short version
Doctors compared two ways of giving focused radiation for large brain tumors that sit near a big vein.
What was studied. Doctors looked back at records for 87 people with large parasagittal meningiomas. 59 got the radiation in one session. 28 got it split into fewer, smaller doses over more than one session.
What they found. Tumors shrank or stayed the same size in 93.1% of all people. In the one session group, 53 of 59 stayed under control. In the split dose group, it was 28 of 28. Among tumors larger than 11.75 cm3, it was 15 of 21 with one session and 16 of 16 with split doses. New swelling near the tumor showed up in 39.0% after one session and 25.0% after split doses.
What this means, and what it doesn't
What it could mean: Splitting the radiation into more than one session may be a reasonable choice for some larger tumors. Your care team can talk with you about which plan fits your tumor.
What it doesn't mean: This does not mean one plan beats the other. The doctors only looked back at old records, so the study cannot prove which is better. The split dose group was also followed for a shorter time. No tumor size number here is a firm rule for choosing. This is not a cure, and it does not change what your doctor offers today.
Source: PubMed, October 2, 2026 · Read the original
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