Active Treatment is Not Indicated in the Majority of Patients Diagnosed with a Vestibular Schwannoma: A Review on the Natural History of Hearing and Tumor Growth

Abstract

This article describes various epidemiologic trends for vestibular schwannomas over the last 40 years and provides updated information based on recent reviews and original work on the natural history of tumor growth and hearing level following the diagnosis of a vestibular schwannoma. A treatment strategy based on the natural history of tumor growth and hearing is proposed and discussed, with attention to the latest surgical and non-surgical developments in the field.