Gamma Knife treatment of malignant infantile brain tumors - Case report.

Stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) is a treatment option, which is capable of pinpoint irradiation and thus, reduce the potential late complications. However, any type of radiation therapy is not recommended for brain tumor patients under the age of 3 years. SRS is not routinely recommended for patients than 2 years of age in consideration of infant skull brittleness for frame fixation, and lack of treatment evidence for the safety and effects of stereotactic radiosurgery in infants. We experienced the case of Gamma Knife treatment upon an infantile pineoblastoma where repeated tumor excision had already been perfromed and chemotherapy resistance was apparent. Radiosurgery resulted in symptom improvement and dramatic tumor shrinkage on MRI after radiosurgery. Therefore, here we report on the difficulty and usefulness of Gammaknife radiosurgery in this infant patient.