Treatment strategies for vestibular schwannoma (VS) vary widely, and selecting the optimal approach based on individual patient characteristics remains challenging. This study systematically evaluated the impact of different treatment modalities on survival outcomes and treatment-related risks using the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database, and analyzed temporal trends and tumor size...
The large SEER dataset adds population-level survival benchmarks by treatment type and patient subgroup for vestibular schwannoma, but practice-changing guidance requires institutional prospective data — treat findings as hypothesis-generating rather than prescriptive.
Vestibular schwannoma management is a key multidisciplinary decision-point where audiologists contribute hearing outcome data, and population-level survival comparisons can inform shared decision-making conversations.
- 01Used SEER database — a large, nationally representative U.S. cancer registry.
- 02Compared survival across treatment modalities: surgery, radiotherapy, and observation.
- 03Patient characteristics such as age and tumor stage were analyzed as outcome modifiers.
- 04Retrospective database design limits causal inference about treatment superiority.
- 05Findings may inform shared decision-making for newly diagnosed patients.
Treatment strategy for vestibular schwannoma affects survival outcomes differentially across patient subgroups.
studypartially supported- PMID
- 42445398
- DOI
- 10.21037/tcr-2026-0818.
- Journal
- Translational Cancer Research
- Publication type
- research_article
- Evidence level
- 2b
- Population
- Patients with vestibular schwannoma in the SEER database
- Intervention
- Surgery, radiotherapy, and observation/watchful waiting for vestibular schwannoma
- Comparator
- Multiple treatment modalities compared head-to-head within the SEER cohort
Primary outcomes
Overall survival; Disease-specific survival by treatment modality and patient characteristics