How To Diagnose And Treat Schwannomas

Stereotactic Radiosurgery

Stereotactic radiosurgery is a type of procedure used in some cases to treat schwannomas. This type of radiosurgery is a precise type of therapeutic radiation used for the treatment of abnormalities in the central and peripheral nervous systems. Although the word surgery is included in the name of the procedure, no incision is needed for this kind of radiosurgery. This procedure works by targeting a specific area with powerful X-ray beams to shrink the abnormal tissues. The energy beams do this by destroying the DNA of the abnormal cells. This stops those cells from being able to grow or reproduce. This procedure is much less invasive than a traditional surgical excision, and it results in less damage to the surrounding tissues. This form of radiosurgery also has a lower risk for a patient to experience adverse side effects in comparison to traditional surgical excision of a schwannoma. When this procedure is used to treat a schwannoma, it is typically completed in one session. Radiosurgery to treat a schwannoma is most often used in individuals with schwannomas that affect the inner ear.

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Cancer Treatment

When a patient's schwannoma biopsy comes back as malignant or cancerous, the treatment will be geared in the same general direction as the treatment for other cancerous tumors. There are of a number of ways in which cancer treatment can be applied. The first priority of treating a cancerous schwannoma is to remove it surgically. If the location of the tumor or the surrounding tissues makes surgical excision exceptionally challenging, then radiation therapy will first be applied to shrink the tumor. After the tumor has been shrunk with radiation and removed, some patients may need subsequent chemotherapy. Chemotherapy is a classification of potent drugs that target and kill any cells in the body that are in the process of multiplying. This means even healthy noncancerous cells in the process of reproduction will be killed by chemotherapy in addition to the cancerous cells. Some patients with cancerous schwannomas may only require surgery to remove the tumor, or they may only need radiation therapy and surgery.

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