Linear accelerator-based radiosurgery for vestibular schwannoma

Area of Science:

• Neurosurgery
• Radiation Oncology

Background:

• Vestibular schwannoma (VS) surgery, despite advances, carries inherent and neurosurgery-specific risks.
• These complications, including facial nerve paralysis and hearing loss, cannot be entirely eliminated even by experienced surgeons.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the outcomes of linear accelerator-based radiosurgery for vestibular schwannoma.
• To compare radiosurgery results with surgical alternatives for VS treatment.

Main Methods:

• Review of studies on linear accelerator-based radiosurgery for vestibular schwannoma.
• Comparison of complication rates and tumor control between radiosurgery and microsurgery.

Main Results:

• Radiosurgery is an effective outpatient, noninvasive treatment for small vestibular schwannomas.
• Improvements in dosimetry have led to very low complication rates and high tumor control with radiosurgery.
• Radiosurgery outcomes are compared with the best surgical alternatives in this review.

Conclusions:

• Linear accelerator-based radiosurgery is a viable and safe alternative to surgery for select vestibular schwannoma patients.
• Modern radiosurgery techniques offer favorable tumor control and reduced morbidity compared to historical data.