Radiation for Sporadic Vestibular Schwannoma: An Update on Modalities, Emphasizing Hearing Loss, Side Effects, and...

Stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) is a valid option for most patients undergoing treatment of small- and medium-sized vestibular schwannoma. Predictors of hearing preservation are the same for observation or surgery: when pretreatment hearing is normal, the tumor is smaller, and when a cerebrospinal fluid fundal cap exists. Hearing outcomes are poor when hearing loss exists pre-treatment. Rates of facial and trigeminal neuropathy are higher post-treatment after fractionated plans than single-fraction SRS. Subtotal resection and adjuvant radiation appears to offer patients with large tumors optimal outcomes for hearing, tumor control, and cranial nerve function versus gross total resection.