Hi again, Tamara:
I just wanted to chime in on the radiation vs surgery discussion, as I had both.
My AN was far too large (and pressing on my brainstem) to go with radiation as the primary approach so my very AN-experienced neurosurgeon opted for microsurgery to reduce the size of the tumor, cut off it's blood supply and avoid cutting or otherwise disturbing any vital nerves. I agreed. The surgery was successful and there were no real complications following. After a three month 'rest period' I began low-dose, very carefully-aimed radiation treatments ('FSR') administered over 26 days. These were 'plotted' by a radiation oncologist and my neurosurgeon, working in tandem. The goal was to destroy the tumor's DNA, stop it's growth and eventually, shrink and ultimately 'kill'' the AN tumor. It worked. My last MRI scan showed tumor necrosis and shrinkage. My neurosurgeon is delighted and so am I. I feel great. My equilibrium is near-normal now and I have almost no discernible effects from the AN, surgery or radiation. I feel blessed.
As I was 63 years old when I was initially diagnosed and treated (in 2006), I believe that age should not be such a big factor for radiation or surgery, assuming general good health going in, of course. Yes, radiation is not always effective but neither is surgery. Following surgery, too many AN patients are confidently told: "we got it all", only to face the specter of 'regrowth' and possibly more surgery and/or radiation a few years later. Granted, this can also occur with radiation but my point is that surgery is not a guarantee of total removal of the AN. My surgeon now highly recommends the surgery + radiation approach for large AN tumors. For a 7mm AN, like yours, Tamara, I suspect he would unequivocally recommend radiation.
This is simply my non-physicians opinion and certainly not anything I can debate with any degree of credibility, other than my reflexive distrust of any surgeon who flatly rules out radiation for a tiny AN tumor, based on the patients age. That seems to be somewhat specious reasoning and smacks of a bias toward radiation on the part of a physician, but of course, I can't prove that.
This being the case, I can only offer my opinion and label it as such, giving the reasons I come to the conclusion I have. It almost goes without saying that the final decision on treatment is yours - and yours alone - to make. We simply try to offer more than one perspective, based on our personal experiences and whatever broader knowledge of AN tumors we may possess. I certainly don't mean to confuse you, Tamara, and I trust that I haven't. I just wanted to offer you my views and hope they may be of some use to you as you prepare to address the specific treatment you'll choose to eliminate your acoustic neuroma tumor. The reality remains that whether you choose surgery or radiation, a period of recuperation will be necessary and yes, some complications could occur. We all hope and pray that doesn't happen to any AN patient but we have to be honest and not pretend here or this site and these forums would be near-useless. As it is, they are far from that - on many levels - but honesty remains a core tenet of our little group and I very much hope that you'll take comfort in that and know that we may not have all the answers but we don't fake it and we don't pretend but we do care.
Again, I wish you all the best, Tamara.
Jim
