Acoustic Neuroma; A tumor of the vestibular nerve, also known as an acoustic neuroma, is a benign soft tissue tumor that can grow in the inner ear. Symptoms include hearing loss, tinnitus and vertigo. The tumor may be treated with surgery or radiosurgery.
The CyberKnife is a non-invasive way to treat acoustic neuromas using radiation therapy. The CyberKnife gives you a more precise treatment than traditional forms of radiation therapy.
How Does the CyberKnife Work?
The CyberKnife uses computer-controlled robotics and real-time imaging to deliver multiple beams of radiation to small tumors in the brain or spine. The robotic arm moves around your body and delivers accurate doses of radiation to your target area every fraction of a second. Because each dose is delivered so quickly, patients usually don’t feel any pain during treatment. And because the beams target very specific areas of your body, there’s no need for anesthesia or sedation during treatment.
CyberKnife is a minimally invasive treatment for acoustic neuroma and other brain tumors. CyberKnife treatment is performed by a team of highly trained physicians and technologists who specialize in treating cancer and other diseases.
What Is CyberKnife?
CyberKnife uses advanced robotics to treat tumors in the brain and spine with pinpoint accuracy. The robotically controlled system delivers radiation from multiple directions to the tumor, allowing for more precise targeting than traditional radiosurgery. Patients are awake during their treatment and may be able to go home the same day as treatment.
Who Is a Candidate?
The team at FHC’s Center for Cancer Treatment & Research (CCTR) will review your medical history and discuss your options with you if you have been diagnosed with an acoustic neuroma or another brain tumor by your physician.
Patients who qualify for CyberKnife treatment include:
Those with acoustic neuromas that have not spread beyond the central nervous system or any other benign or malignant tumor of the head or neck area (if no metastases are present). In general, patients who are candidates for this procedure have small tumors that are accessible from one side of the skull only (unilateral).
How effective is CyberKnife for acoustic neuroma?
CyberKnife is a noninvasive, stereotactic radiosurgery technology that can treat a wide range of cancers and tumors without the need for incisions or general anesthesia. In addition to acoustic neuroma treatment, CyberKnife can be used to treat tumors in the brain and spine, as well as lung and liver cancers.
The CyberKnife is designed to treat tumors located away from critical structures such as blood vessels, nerves or other vital organs. Because it uses real-time imaging with three-dimensional targeting software, the CyberKnife enables precision treatment of tumors with high doses of radiation while limiting exposure of healthy tissue to radiation.
It is the most effective treatment for acoustic neuroma, with an excellent track record. The typical radiation dose is 15 to 20 Gy.
In terms of side effects, there are some temporary side effects, such as nausea and vertigo. The most common problem is that patients develop a hearing deficit after treatment. This can sometimes be corrected with cochlear implants or hearing aids, but it varies from patient to patient.
The procedure takes about three weeks for each session. After treatment, you will need to wait two to three months before having another session.
Will radiation shrink an acoustic neuroma?
Radiation may shrink a benign tumor called an acoustic neuroma. But it won’t cure it.
With radiation, you might be able to control the growth of the acoustic neuroma to some extent. But it’s not possible to cure this type of tumor.
Radiation therapy uses high-energy beams to kill cancer cells and shrink tumors. The goal is to destroy as many cancer cells as possible while keeping healthy tissue safe from damage.
Radiation can reduce the size of an acoustic neuroma by killing cancer cells in its center. This may make it easier for surgeons to remove part or all of the tumor during surgery or make the tumor smaller when doctors insert electrodes into it (electrode-based stereotactic radiosurgery).
Acoustic neuromas are benign tumors on the acoustic nerve, which is responsible for hearing and balance. Acoustic neuromas are usually noncancerous, though they can become cancerous over time.
Radiation is used to shrink acoustic neuromas that cannot be removed through surgery, but it works best when the tumor is small and in a specific location. For example, radiation therapy might shrink an acoustic neuroma that’s located along the nerve in the ear canal while leaving larger tumors elsewhere untouched.
Because radiation therapy shrinks acoustic neuromas gradually, you may not notice any changes for several weeks. It could take months or years before any noticeable effects occur, depending on the size of your tumor and how much radiation you receive each day.
What is the best treatment for acoustic neuroma?
Acoustic neuroma is a slow growing tumor that forms on the nerve connecting the ear to the brain. The tumor can cause hearing loss, facial paralysis and balance problems.
The first step in treating acoustic neuroma is surgery to remove it. The goal of surgery is to remove all or most of the tumor without damaging healthy tissue. The type of surgery depends on where the tumor is located in relation to surrounding nerves and structures.
After surgery, you will continue to have follow-up neurological exams with your doctor for many years after treatment to make sure your hearing returns to normal and there are no signs of cancer recurrence.
The best treatment for acoustic neuroma is to remove the tumor by surgery. The goal of surgery is to remove as much of the tumor as possible while avoiding damage to important nerves, brain tissue and other structures.
If you have an acoustic neuroma, your doctor may recommend a biopsy. A biopsy is a procedure in which tissue samples are taken from the tumor and examined under a microscope. This helps your doctor determine whether the tumor can be removed completely with surgery or if additional treatment is needed.
If your doctor recommends surgery, there are several different approaches that may be used:
Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) uses heat generated by radio waves to destroy the tumor cells within the tumor. RFA has been used successfully for more than 20 years and is usually performed at outpatient centers with local anesthesia and sedation.
Acoustic neuroma is a noncancerous tumor that develops on the nerve that connects the ear to the brain. The tumor can be either slow growing or fast growing, and it may or may not cause symptoms.
The treatment for acoustic neuroma depends on how large it is, where it is located, and whether it causes symptoms. In general, doctors remove acoustic neuromas that are causing hearing loss or facial paralysis early in their development. They may also remove acoustic neuromas that do not cause symptoms if they grow quickly or become large enough to affect the patient’s health.
Treatment Options for Acoustic Neuroma
Treatment options for acoustic neuroma include:
Observation — If your doctor cannot tell from an MRI whether you have an acoustic neuroma, he or she may recommend waiting 6 months before having another MRI scan. If you still have symptoms after 6 months of observation with no changes on follow-up MRIs, then your doctor will likely recommend surgery to remove the tumor.*
Acoustic neuromas are usually removed by surgery. The surgery is called a transsphenoidal resection. In this procedure, the tumor is removed from the sphenoid sinus and skull base through a small incision in the back of your nose.
The goal of treatment is to remove all or most of the tumor while preserving hearing and facial function. If you have a seizure disorder, it will be treated before surgery begins.
Your doctor will discuss with you whether or not you need to be taken to an operating room for the procedure. Most acoustic neuromas can be removed via a transnasal endoscopic approach, which means that no incision is made on your scalp.
Can acoustic neuroma grow back after radiation?
Acoustic neuroma is a benign, slow-growing tumor that occurs on the hearing and balance nerve (acoustic nerve) of the inner ear.
Radiation therapy is a treatment option for acoustic neuroma. It can be used to help manage symptoms and reduce the risk of recurrence after surgery.
The goal of radiation therapy is to destroy cancer cells without damaging surrounding tissue. Radiation may be given as external beam radiation therapy or internal radiation therapy. External beam radiation uses machines outside of your body to deliver high doses of radiation directly to the cancerous tumor. Internal radiation uses radioactive material placed inside the body near the tumor to destroy cancer cells over time.
The acoustic nerve is the cranial nerve that carries sound information from the inner ear to the brain. Acoustic neuromas are tumors that arise from this nerve and are often treated with surgery or radiation therapy.
Acoustic Neuroma Growth After Radiation
While it’s possible that an acoustic neuroma can grow back following treatment, it isn’t common. In fact, some studies have shown that most acoustic neuromas do not grow back after treatment.
Growth of an acoustic neuroma can cause symptoms such as:
Tinnitus (ringing or buzzing in the ear)
Dizziness or vertigo (a sensation of motion)
Hearing loss
The answer to your question is yes, acoustic neuromas can grow back after radiation.
In a study of 10 patients who had previously been treated with radiation for acoustic neuromas, surgery revealed that three had experienced recurrence of their tumors. These patients were followed up for an average of 18 years after the radiation treatment.
All three patients were able to undergo another round of surgery and have since been declared free of tumor growth. However, the other seven patients were found to have no evidence of tumor growth at the time of their second operations.
I had acoustic neuroma surgery, where it was removed. Then I had radiation because there were still cells left behind. The radiation was done in sections. The first one was on my right temple and the second one was on my left temple.
They gave me steroids and anti-inflammatory medicine before they did each session to help with swelling and pain. I had three sessions, each lasting about 15 minutes. The first two were very painful but the third one wasn’t too bad. In between sessions, I had to wear a cold pack on my head for 20 minutes every hour for 48 hours after each session (the first two times). That helped with the swelling and pain significantly.
After each session, I felt like my head was going to explode from all the pressure inside of it! It felt like there were hundreds of pounds pushing down on my head and causing excruciating pain! It took about two weeks to feel better after each session but over time it got better with each passing day after each session until eventually I didn’t need any pain medication at all anymore and just used over-the-counter Tylenol if needed instead (which wasn’t often at all).
At first I couldn’t sleep well because of all
What is the success rate of CyberKnife?
The success rate of CyberKnife is very high. For example, according to a study conducted by Drs. Robert Grossman, Douglas Kondziolka, and David Chang at the Cancer Treatment Centers of America (CTCA), the overall survival rate for patients who received CyberKnife therapy was 94%. Overall survival refers to time from treatment until death from any cause. The median follow-up time was 9.1 years.
The results of that study have been published in the Journal of Neurosurgery: Spine and are available here:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24354356
CyberKnife is a non-invasive treatment option for many types of cancer and other conditions. It can be used as an alternative to surgery or to treat tumors that are not reachable by other forms of radiation treatment.
CyberKnife is generally considered a safe and effective treatment for certain conditions, including:
Brain tumors (glioblastoma, meningioma)
Spinal tumors (brainstem glioma)
Eye tumors (retinoblastoma)
Lung cancer metastases to the spine
CyberKnife is a technology that was developed by Accuray, Inc., a company based in Sunnyvale, California. The CyberKnife system uses computer-assisted tracking to deliver radiation therapy to tumors in the body. It does this by targeting tumors with a high degree of precision and accuracy.
The CyberKnife treatment system has been approved by the FDA for use in treating cancerous tumors of the head and neck, lung, liver, pancreas, prostate and bones. The device has also been approved for use in treating non-cancerous brain tumors called arteriovenous malformations (AVMs).
CyberKnife is used to treat cancers that are difficult or impossible to treat with traditional methods of radiation therapy. Because it delivers treatment from multiple angles at once, it allows doctors to deliver higher doses of radiation while minimizing damage to surrounding healthy tissue.
The CyberKnife system consists of four parts:
a robotic arm that moves around the patient’s body as they lie on an X-ray table;
a targeting system that tracks and locates tumor sites;
a CT scanner that collects images before treatment begins;
and an image processing computer system that receives data from all three
CyberKnife is a minimally invasive procedure that uses real-time image guidance to deliver radiation to a tumor. The CyberKnife system uses a powerful computer and advanced technology to pinpoint the tumor using real-time imaging.
How is CyberKnife different than traditional radiation therapy?
Traditional radiation therapy uses a large machine called linear accelerator (LINAC). During treatment, the patient lies on a table while the LINAC moves around them and delivers high doses of radiation to the cancerous area. This can take up to several hours for each treatment. The CyberKnife system does not use a moving beam of radiation; instead, it delivers many small beams of radiation at once, which are delivered in less than one minute. This allows patients to receive treatment during a single visit rather than multiple visits over several days.
Who is a candidate for CyberKnife?
CyberKnife is an advanced robotic radiosurgery system that treats cancer, vascular disorders, neurological diseases and other conditions by precisely targeting and destroying small, cancerous tumors. CyberKnife treatment is minimally invasive, offers minimal side effects and has been shown to be effective in more than 30 types of malignancies.
CyberKnife is different from traditional radiation therapy because it delivers targeted beams of radiation to a tumor with no damage to surrounding tissue. It is also more precise than traditional radiation therapy because the position of the tumor can be measured in three dimensions — up/down, forwards/backwards and side-to-side — at multiple points during treatment delivery.
The CyberKnife technology allows doctors to deliver highly focused radiation doses directly to the tumor site while sparing surrounding healthy tissue from damage. This allows doctors to treat tumors that wouldn’t have been possible using traditional forms of radiation therapy.
CyberKnife treatment for cancer typically lasts between 20 minutes and one hour per session, depending on how many treatment plans are needed for each patient