We examined the characteristic changes in
vestibular schwannoma (VS) volume
after treatment with
linear accelerator-based radiosurgery (LBRS) and the long-term
therapeutic effects, by performing three-dimensional (3D) MRI evaluations of
tumor volumes. We included 44 patients in whom
tumor volume changes could be observed using 3D-spoiled gradient-echo MRI for at least 5 years. Examinations were performed every 3-4 months for the first 2 years
after treatment and every 6-12 months thereafter. Enlargement or shrinkage was determined as a change of at least 20% from the volume at the time of treatment. The median observation period was 13.8 years (range, 5.5-19.5 years). The
tumor control rates at 5 and 10 years
after treatment and at the final MRI were 90.9%, 90.0%, and 88.6%, respectively.
Tumor volume changes were categorized into the following four patterns: enlargement, five patients (11.4%); stable, three patients (6.8%); transient enlargement, 24 patients (54.5%); and direct shrinkage, 12 patients (27.3%). Bimodal peaks were observed in three of the 24 patients with transient enlargement.
Tumor volume changes from 5 and 10 years post-LBRS to the final observation point were observed in 27 (64.2%) and 10 patients (33.3%), respectively. The long-term
tumor volume changes observed after LBRS suggest that radiation exerts long-term effects on
tumors. Furthermore, while transient enlargements in
tumor volume were characteristic, true
tumor enlargements should be characterized by increased volumes of more than two-fold and continued growth for at least 2 years.