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Spontaneous tumour shrinkage in 1261 observed patients with sporadic vestibular schwannoma

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 July 2013

X Huang ,
P Caye-Thomasen  and
S-E Stangerup
X Huang
Affiliation:
Department of ENT – Head and Neck Surgery, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
P Caye-Thomasen
Affiliation:
Department of Oto-rhino-laryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Copenhagen University Hospital, Rigshospitalet/Gentofte, Denmark Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
S-E Stangerup*
Affiliation:
Department of Oto-rhino-laryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Copenhagen University Hospital, Rigshospitalet/Gentofte, Denmark Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
*
Address for correspondence: Dr S-E Stangerup, Niels Andersens Vej 65, DK-2900 Hellerup, Denmark Fax: +45 39 77 76 34 E-mail: svst@geh.regionh.dk
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Abstract

Objective:

To determine the rate of spontaneous tumour shrinkage in a group of patients with sporadic vestibular schwannoma managed with a ‘wait and scan’ approach.

Patients:

All patients with a unilateral cerebello-pontine angle tumour resembling a vestibular schwannoma were registered prospectively in a national database in Denmark. Patients registered with tumour shrinkage were identified and all computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging scans retrieved, re-evaluated and related to the clinical data.

Results:

Of 1261 observed patients, 48 displayed spontaneous shrinkage (3.81 per cent). Mean absolute shrinkage was 6.25 mm, equivalent to 52.1 per cent. Absolute shrinkage correlated with tumour size and follow-up period, whereas relative shrinkage was significantly greater for tumours which were purely intrameatal at diagnosis. There was no correlation between age and the degree of shrinkage.

Conclusion:

Four per cent of sporadic vestibular schwannomas shrink spontaneously. These findings substantiate the ‘wait and scan’ strategy for tumours with a largest extrameatal diameter of up to 20 mm.

Keywords

Acoustic NeuromaPrognosisPathologyRadiology

Information

Type
Main Articles
Information
The Journal of Laryngology & Otology , Volume 127 , Issue 8 , August 2013 , pp. 739 - 743
Copyright
Copyright © JLO (1984) Limited 2013 

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