Therapy
If there are no symptoms and the neurinoma is still very small, the tumor does not need to be treated. However, it should be well observed by regular check-ups using MRI.Radiation therapy can be performed for smaller neurinomas, but usually the tumor is removed completely surgically, which leads to healing. The neurinoma does not develop again after the operation.
The mortality rate with this type of surgery is less than 5%, with predominantly older patients with risk factors being affected. The facial nervus can be preserved in 90% of patients and hearing in about 60% of patients, depending on the size of the tumor. Paralysis and bladder disturbances regress well, sensitivity disorders only partially.
Malignant degenerative neurinomas must be irradiated after surgery and can form metastases in other parts of the body. Most patients are cured after successful therapy and can return to their jobs. The neurinoma grows very slowly over several years and initially goes unnoticed.
Depending on the size of the tumor, in about 40% of the patients hearing cannot be preserved (anacusis), in about 10% of the patients the facial nerve cannot be preserved and facial paresis remains. The prognosis is worse if the tumor was detected too late and spinal cord entrapment (spinal cord compression) in spinal neurinomas has already existed for a long time. Rarely, malignant degeneration of the tumor occurs, which can also form metastases outside the peripheral nervous system.
These malignant neurinomas correspond to tumors III or IV. Grades and are also called neurofibrosarcomas and neurogenic sarcomas. The prognosis for these types of tumors is much worse.
A neurinoma is a slowly growing, benign tumor of the peripheral nervous system. It develops from the so-called Schwann cells, which are responsible for the formation of the nerve sheaths. There is no difference between a neurinoma and a Schwannoma. In everyday clinical practice, the term ‘neurinoma’ is more commonly used, although ‘Schwannoma’ is actually more accurate because of the tissue of origin (Schwann cells).
