Eighteen cases of tumors of the pineal body and 2 cases of ectopic pinealoma are reported. Doses of 4500 to 5500 rads in five to six weeks adequately controls most of these lesions without long-term complications. Local control was more frequent with ports which included the entire ventricular system. Four patients showed tumor spread in the spinal axis. The excellent results obtained by shunting without biopsy and large volume-high dose therapy of the primary site makes irradiating the spinal axis unnecessary in most patients; however, in cases of locally extensive, biopsy-proved tumors, prophylactic irradiation to the spinal axis is indicated.
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Bradfield et al. (1972) studied this question.