Spontaneous Vestibular Schwannoma Regression

In a study of Tikka et al. from the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital, Glasgow, United Kingdom 540 patients on the database 28 (5.2%) showed spontaneous regression with a mean follow-up of 122 months. Mean absolute and relative regression was 3.9 mm and 25.7%, respectively. 60% of tumors showed gradual regression while 25% showed growth followed by regression. Regressing VS had a significantly larger size than the control group; while the regressing tumors were located further from the fundus than the control group. The remaining examined factors did not reach a statistical level of significance.

This is, the first study comparing a cohort of regressing tumors with a control group of growing VS. The finding that the location of tumors around the porous, is more common in regressing VS has implications for patients' counselling 1).

1)
Tikka T, Yiannakis CP, Stapleton E, Locke R, Crowther JA, Taylor WAS, Kontorinis G. Spontaneous Vestibular Schwannoma Regression: A Case-Control Study. Otol Neurotol. 2018 Aug 13. doi: 10.1097/MAO.0000000000001962. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: 30106843.