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.

External links

• 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" (PDF). Head Neck Oncol. 3: 8. doi:10.1186/1758-3284-3-8. PMC 3042977. PMID 21310054.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: unflagged free DOI (link)
• "Surgical management of radiation-induced temporal lobe necrosis in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma: Report of 14 cases". Head & Neck. 33: 1493–1500. doi:10.1002/hed.21639.
• "Clinical Outcomes of 174 Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma Patients With Radiation-Induced Temporal Lobe Necrosis". International Journal of Radiation Oncology*Biology*Physics. 82: e57–e65. doi:10.1016/j.ijrobp.2010.11.070.
• 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" (PDF). Radiat Oncol. 6: 128. doi:10.1186/1748-717X-6-128. PMC 3195720. PMID 21961805.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: unflagged free DOI (link)