Gamma knife radiosurgery in younger patients with vestibular schwannomas.

OBJECTIVE: Management options for patients with vestibular schwannoma include observation, surgical resection, stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS), and stereotactic radiation therapy. In younger patients, resection is often advocated because of concern regarding the long-term effects of radiation. We studied tumor response and clinical outcomes after SRS in such patients.

METHODS: We reviewed long-term outcomes in 55 patients with vestibular schwannomas. Patients were 40 years of age or younger, underwent gamma knife (GK) SRS between 1987 and 2003, and were followed up for a minimum of 4 years. The median patient age was 35 years (range, 13-40 years). Forty-one patients had Gardner-Robertson class 1 to 4 hearing. Thirteen patients (24%) had undergone surgical removal. The median tumor volume was 1.7 mm. The median tumor margin dose was 13.0 Gy (range, 11-20 Gy).

RESULTS: At a median of 5.3 years, (range, 4-20 years), 2 of 55 patients underwent GK SRS for a second time; 1 of these patients had had a recurrence after initial resection. The 5-year rate of freedom from additional management was 96%. Hearing preservation rates (i.e., remaining within the same Gardner-Robertson hearing class) were 93%, 87%, and 87% at 3, 5, and 10 years, respectively. In patients with serviceable hearing before SRS, it was maintained in 100%, 93%, and 93% of patients at 3, 5, and 10 years, respectively. Hearing preservation was related to a margin dose lower than 13 Gy (P = 0.017). At the last assessment, facial and trigeminal nerve function was preserved in 98.2% and 96.4% of patients, respectively; the only facial deficit (House-Brackmann grade III) occurred in a patient who received a tumor dose of 20 Gy early in our experience (1988). None of the patients treated with doses lower than 13 Gy experienced facial or trigeminal neuropathy. All patients continued their previous level of activity or employment after GK SRS. No patient developed a secondary radiation-related tumor.

CONCLUSION: Our experience indicates that GK SRS is an effective management strategy for younger patients with vestibular schwannoma, most of whom have no additional cranial nerve dysfunction.