Amethyst Radiotherapy is pleased to host a live webinar on 5 June on the topic of Modern Management of Vestibular Schwannoma. Here’s an overview of the subject.
Amethyst Radiotherapy is pleased to host a live webinar on 5 June on the topic of Modern Management of Vestibular Schwannoma. The discussion will address the current management of small and medium-sized vestibular schwannomas (VS), and will also explore the emerging role of AI and technology in future methods of VS care.
The webinar will be led by two members of our expert medical team, including Mr Patrick Grover and Mr Matthias Radatz.
Mr Grover is a Consultant Skull Base and Vascular Neurosurgeon, with expertise in skull base tumors and vascular conditions, serving as the Cranial Neurosurgery Lead at the National Hospital in London, and recognised for his work in research and advanced surgical techniques.
Mr Radatz is a Consultant Neurosurgeon at Sheffield Teaching NHS Hospital and Medical Director of Thornbury Radiosurgery Centre, and a leading practitioner of Gamma Knife in stereotactic neurosurgery, treating cranial and extra-cranial CNS lesions.
Here’s an overview of vestibular schwannoma treatment, and the topics that will be discussed on the day.
Vestibular schwannoma (VS) are also known as acoustic neuroma. They are a fairly rare and usually non-cancerous type of tumour that grows on the vestibular nerve, which connects the inner ear to the brain. This nerve controls hearing and balance, and the main nerve that controls facial movement runs close to it.
Typically, a VS only affects the hearing and balance nerve on one side of the head. However, if the patient has a rare genetic condition called NF2-related schwannomatosis, it can affect both sides. Although VS is a benign tumour and does not spread to other parts of the brain, it can cause serious problems if it grows and puts pressure on the brain.
A VS is typically slow growing, so it can be present for years before any symptoms emerge. These may include loss of hearing in the affected ear; tinnitus (a persistent ringing or buzzing noise in the ear), and dizziness or vertigo.
The NHS explains that a larger VS may also cause persistent headaches, numbness, pain or weakness on one side of the face; difficulties with limb coordination, temporary blurred vision, voice changes or difficulty swallowing.
There is no fixed treatment pathway for VS, because the best approach depends on variables including:
If the VS is small and slow-growing, it may be actively monitored with regular scans for signs of growth or other issues, rather than directly treated. This is sometimes referred to as the ‘watchful waiting’ approach.
Larger or fast growing tumours, or those that are causing serious side effects, may need to be removed with open surgery. However, this is a major procedure with a risk of complications such as damage to the facial nerves or permanent hearing loss.
Stereotactic radiotherapy (SRT) or stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) are the most common treatment pathways for smaller cases of VS. SRT refers to a course of multiple radiotherapy sessions carried out over a number of weeks. SRS typically refers to a single treatment session, and is often used in the case of smaller tumours.
One of the most advanced types of SRS is Gamma Knife surgery. Despite the name, it does not involve any physical incisions into the brain. Instead, it delivers highly focused beams of radiation directed from multiple angles to target the tumour site.
Individually, the beams are too weak to cause any damage as they pass through the brain tissue to the tumour, but collectively the radiation intersects at the location of the tumour, causing the cells to die.
It’s up to 95 per cent effective at slowing or preventing further growth of the tumour, and has minimal downtime. It also has a lower risk of complications compared to conventional surgery.
Emerging technologies are making considerable advancements in the way that VS are diagnosed and treated. For example, machine learning algorithms can be used to analyse MRI scans more accurately and quickly than the human eye.
This reduces the margin of error and detects tiny details that would otherwise not be picked up, and speeds up the treatment pathway. Predictive tools can also be used to identify probable future growth patterns of tumours, leading to more accurate and personalised treatment plans for patients.
Centres of Excellence for Stereotactic Radiosurgery treatment of complex Brain Tumours
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