Early experience of stereotactic irradiation for acoustic tumors

We have treated ten patients with acoustic tumors by stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS). Out of ten patients, three had tumor regrowth 10 to 27 months after treatment. We suspect that relatively high regrowth rate comes from high incidence of post-operative residual tumors among the irradiated cases. We need to make efforts to decrease regrowth and side effects like facial nerve palsy. From 1997, we started stereotactic radiotherapy (SRT) that is expected to have advantage in radiation biology and no significant side effects have been experienced so far.