Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41609888›Full record

ArticleJournal of neuro-oncology2026

Stereotactic radiosurgery for pineal gland metastases: results from the international radiosurgery research foundation.

Trent Kite, Abigail Mckenna, Rodney E Wegner, John Herbst, Stephen Karlovits, David John, David J Cote, Gabriel Zada, Chris Z Wei, Suchet Taori and 19 more

Abstract readMulticenter Study
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of neuro-oncology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

29 authors.

Trent KiteDepartment of Neurosurgery, Allegheny Health Network Neuroscience Institute, 320 E North Ave Suite 208, Pittsburgh, PA, 15212, USA.
Abigail MckennaDepartment of Neurosurgery, Allegheny Health Network Neuroscience Institute, 320 E North Ave Suite 208, Pittsburgh, PA, 15212, USA.
Rodney E WegnerDepartment of Neurosurgery, Bahçeşehir University, Istanbul, TR, Turkey.
John HerbstDepartment of Neurosurgery, Koc University Hospital Istanbul, Istanbul, TR, Turkey.
Stephen KarlovitsDepartment of Neurosurgery, Bahçeşehir University, Istanbul, TR, Turkey.
David JohnDepartment of Neurosurgery, Université de Sherbrooke, Centre de recherche du CHUS, Quebec, CN, USA.
David J CoteDepartment of Neurosurgery, Université de Sherbrooke, Centre de recherche du CHUS, Quebec, CN, USA.
Gabriel ZadaDepartment of Neurosurgery, Université de Sherbrooke, Centre de recherche du CHUS, Quebec, CN, USA.
Chris Z WeiDivision of Radiation Oncology, Allegheny Health Network Cancer Institute, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
Suchet TaoriDivision of Radiation Oncology, Allegheny Health Network Cancer Institute, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
Neha ShastriDivision of Radiation Oncology, Allegheny Health Network Cancer Institute, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
Cheng-Chia LeeDivision of Oncology, Allegheny Health Network Cancer Institute, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
Hua-Che YangDivision of Oncology, Allegheny Health Network Cancer Institute, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
Georgios MantziarisDepartment of Neurosurgery, University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine, Los Angelos, CA, USA.
Salem M TosDepartment of Neurosurgery, University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine, Los Angelos, CA, USA.
Carolina Gesteira BenjaminDepartment of Neurological Surgery, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
Alessandro De BonisDepartment of Neurological Surgery, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
Gustavo PassosDepartment of Neurological Surgery, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
Anshul RatnaparkhiDepartment of Neurological Surgery, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
Cameron RiveraDepartment of Neurological Surgery, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
Türker KılıçDepartment of Neurosurgery, Neurological Institute Taipei Veteran General Hospital, Taipei, Turkey.
Deniz KılıçDepartment of Neurological Surgery, University of Virgina, Charlottesville, VA, USA.
Ali Haluk DüzkalirDepartment of Neurological Surgery, University of Miami, Miami, FL, USA.
Selcuk PekerDepartment of Neurological Surgery, University of Miami, Miami, FL, USA.
David MathieuDepartment of Neurosurgery, İstinye University, Istanbul, TR, Turkey.
Jason P SheehanDepartment of Neurosurgery, University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine, Los Angelos, CA, USA.
Ajay NiranjanDivision of Radiation Oncology, Allegheny Health Network Cancer Institute, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
L Dade LunsfordDivision of Radiation Oncology, Allegheny Health Network Cancer Institute, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
Matthew J ShepardDepartment of Neurosurgery, Allegheny Health Network Neuroscience Institute, 320 E North Ave Suite 208, Pittsburgh, PA, 15212, USA. matthew.shepard@ahn.org.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeMetastases to the pineal gland are rare. Surgical excision can be associated with high rates of morbidity. Alternatively, stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) for brain metastases in the pineal region has not been vigorously studied.

methodsWe performed a multi-institutional retrospective study for patients treated with SRS for pineal region metastases at treatment centers that comprise the International Radiosurgery Research Foundation (IRRF). Demographics, tumor characteristics, treatment parameters, and clinical outcomes were collected. The primary endpoint was local tumor control (LC). Secondary endpoints included: Overall survival (OS), distant tumor control (DC), and adverse radiation events (AREs). Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression analyses were performed to evaluate time to event endpoints and prognostic factors respectively.

resultsTwenty-six patients (16 female, 62% median age 60 years (range: 16–87) with 26 pineal metastases were managed with SRS. Primary tumor histology was lung (46.2%), breast (26.9%), melanoma (7.7%), and other (19.2%). SRS treatment was up-front in the majority of cases (61.5%), adjuvant (19.2%) or salvage therapy (19.2%). The median prescription dose was 18 Gy in a single fraction. Median follow-up was 9 months (range 3–101). LC at 3-,6-,12-, and 24-months was 100%, 94.4%, 87.7%, and 87.7% respectively. DC at the same intervals were 79.2%, 73.9%, 52.8%, and 35.2%. Median OS was 32 months (range: 6–52). No evaluated prognostic factors were significantly associated with LC, DC, or OS. Among the 13 patients with symptoms related to their pineal tumor at baseline, 7 improved and 6 remained stable following SRS. Leptomeningeal spread occurred in 7.7% of patients and no cases of post-SRS hydrocephalus were observed. Overall AREs occurred in 14 (53.8%) patients, with a median time to onset of 4 months.

conclusionSRS offers excellent local tumor control of pineal metastases with high rates of symptomatic improvement, minimal leptomeningeal spread, and limited post-SRS complications. Despite this, distant tumor control is limited in this setting and may be improved by improved systemic disease management.

Indexed as

Brain NeoplasmsPineal GlandRadiosurgeryAdolescentAdultAgedAged, 80 and overFemaleFollow-Up StudiesHumansKaplan-Meier EstimateMaleMiddle AgedPrognosisRetrospective StudiesTreatment OutcomeBrain metastasesPineal glandRadiosurgeryStereotactic radiosurgery

Identifiers

PMID41609888
PMCPMC12855227

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.