Temporal lobe necrosis

Temporal lobe necrosis is a late-stage and serious complication usually occurring in persons who have undergone radiation treatment for nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). It is rather rare and occurs in 4-30% of patients who receive radiation treatment for NPC. Many patients who experience temporal lobe necrosis are asymptomatic. This demonstrates a need for consistent imaging follow up, such as MRI and/or PET/CT, to help with the potential management of it. Those who are symptomatic usually suffer from "vague" symptoms including headaches, dizziness, intracranial pressure, personality changes, seizures, and short-term memory loss. The rarity of this disease has led to difficulty in finding optimal treatments, however, most treatments include one or some of the following: steroids, hyperbaric oxygen, surgery, and decadron.

References

  • Dassarath, M; Yin, Z; Chen, J; Liu, H; Yang, K; Wu, G (2011). "Temporal lobe necrosis: a dwindling entity in a patient with nasopharyngeal cancer after radiation therapy". Head Neck Oncol. 3: 8. doi:10.1186/1758-3284-3-8. PMC 3042977. PMID 21310054.
  • Mou, Yong-gao; Sai, Ke; Wang, Zhen-Ning; Zhang, Xiang-Heng; Lu, Yan-Chun; Wei, Da-Nian; Yang, Qun-Ying; Chen, Zhong-Ping (2011). "Surgical management of radiation-induced temporal lobe necrosis in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma: Report of 14 cases". Head & Neck. 33 (10): 1493–1500. doi:10.1002/hed.21639. PMID 21928423. S2CID 25982206.
  • Lam, Tai-Chung; Wong, Frank C.S.; Leung, To-Wai; Ng, S.H.; Tung, Stewart Y. (2012). "Clinical Outcomes of 174 Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma Patients With Radiation-Induced Temporal Lobe Necrosis". International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology, Physics. 82 (1): e57–e65. doi:10.1016/j.ijrobp.2010.11.070. PMID 21300460.
  • Chen, J; Dassarath, M; Yin, Z; Liu, H; Yang, K; Wu, G (2011). "Radiation induced temporal lobe necrosis in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma: a review of new avenues in its management". Radiat Oncol. 6: 128. doi:10.1186/1748-717X-6-128. PMC 3195720. PMID 21961805.