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AN Research / Re: How many surgeries are performed per year in US?
« Last post by jenhenho on January 12, 2026, 11:04:22 AM »
Thank you for responding!  I appreciate your effort - and your math!  haha
I posted Chat Gpt response below - just another guesstimate.  It's confusing to me that it is so hard to get actual number.  Hopefully an expert who sees this post can chime in...

FROM CHAT-GPT:  ~1,700–2,000 (estimated)

Incidence: Vestibular schwannomas (acoustic neuromas) occur in roughly 2,500–3,300 people annually in the U.S., based on incidence estimates of about 1.0–1.2 cases per 100,000 population per year and U.S. population figures.

🔪 Surgical Volume — The exact number of surgeries each year isn’t universally tracked in a single report, but large retrospective analyses provide good estimates:
A national analysis of surgical trends from 2001–2014 found that annual surgical resections for vestibular schwannoma declined from about ~2,807 procedures in 2001 to ~1,795 in 2014.

That suggests recent years likely see on the order of about ~1,700–2,000 surgical resections per year in the U.S., given stable incidence but increasing use of non-surgical treatments (e.g., radiosurgery).

Older surgical outcome studies and registries also support similar annual volumes in the low-thousands during earlier decades, consistent with the above trend.

📌 Key Points

Total new acoustic neuroma diagnoses per year in the U.S.: ~2,500–3,300.

Estimated surgical resections per year: ~1,700–2,000 (based on historical surgical volumes and declining trends).

Not every diagnosed patient undergoes surgery—many are managed with observation or radiotherapy, especially for small tumors.

📊 Summary Estimate
Metric   Approximate Annual U.S. Count
Vestibular schwannoma diagnoses   ~2,500–3,300
Surgical resections performed
~1,700–2,000 (estimated)
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Pre-Treatment Options / Re: CBD
« Last post by MarlaB on January 12, 2026, 10:36:24 AM »
I have a WHOLE SPREADSHEET going with all the data...(65+ different lines - it's legal where I live) so far, nothing has "worked," and some have actually made it worse, but I have discovered that if I find a blend with CBN (ususally an edible gummy), at least that helps me sleep through the night, and that's not nothing.
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Pre-Treatment Options / Re: CBD
« Last post by Rolaliton on January 12, 2026, 09:17:11 AM »
I’ve seen folks with similar questions say they start low with CBD and keep notes on what actually helps them day to day. Quality can vary a lot, so I usually stick to places that make things easy to sort through; sites like www.smokeday.com help me compare options without digging forever. If you’re mixing CBD with other meds, I always ask my doctor first just to keep things smooth.
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AN Research / Re: How many surgeries are performed per year in US?
« Last post by Mark F. on January 09, 2026, 05:58:28 PM »
I tried to look for an answer but it doesn't seem like it's something that is being tracked.  All I could come up with was that there are about 3000 cases per year, and about 70 percent of those never make it out of watch and wait because they either don't grow, or even shrink.   Using those numbers that means that approximately 900 get some kind of treatment, but that is both radiation, and surgery together.  I couldn't find a breakdown of how many choose one option over the other, but it seems like radiation is more popular than surgery, so my guess is that there probably isn't any more than 400 surgeries a year nationwide, and maybe less than that, but that is just using the numbers being circulated around, and applying the math and estimating.  Far from an actual accurate number, but probably not too far off.   But I could be wrong.
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Radiation / Radiosurgery / Re: Gamma Knife Surgery Scheduled
« Last post by RoseR on January 09, 2026, 08:54:25 AM »
It went well!  I had a GREAT care team at the place where I had it done.  I didn't sleep too well, and I imagine that was at least in large part due to whatever medicine they gave me--either for pain or for numbness.  I was able to go out yesterday, for a walk with a friend, and to a couple places with her driving.  Today, I have some imbalance issues so am staying home from work.
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AN Research / How many surgeries are performed per year in US?
« Last post by jenhenho on January 08, 2026, 11:45:57 AM »
Hi all!  I'm wondering how many surgeries per year for AN are performed in the U.S. 
Thanks in advance!
p.s. I'm 6 weeks post retro-sig and doing GREAT!  The prep and waiting was the hardest part for sure!
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AN Issues / How many surgeries are performed per year in US?
« Last post by jenhenho on January 08, 2026, 11:43:37 AM »
Hi all!  I'm wondering how many surgeries per year for AN are performed in the U.S. 
Thanks in advance!
p.s. I'm 6 weeks post retro-sig and doing GREAT!  The prep and waiting was the hardest part for sure!
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ANA Patient Education Event
Hosted by Mayo Clinic
Saturday, March 7, 2026
7:30 am - 3:30 pm ET

Location:
Kinne Auditorium
Cannaday Building
4500 San Pablo Rd S
Jacksonville, FL 32224

Please join the Acoustic Neuroma Association and the team from Mayo Clinic Florida's Acoustic Neuroma Team for a day of patient education, networking, and support.
This in-person event will include presentations from Mayo Clinic’s integrated care team – including neurotologists, neurosurgeons, neurologists, facial plastic surgeons, and audiologists – as they share the latest advances in treatment decision-making, recovery, and patient experience.

Scheduled Topics Include:
Navigating A Diagnosis
Managing Acoustic Neuroma Symptoms
Non-surgical Management and Radiation
Surgical Approaches Panel
Vestibular Therapy
Facial Reanimation
Auditory Rehabilition
Networking Time with Fellow Patients/Caregivers

More information: https://anausa.org/programs/patient-event-mayo-clinic


Questions? Contact stephanierommer@anausa.org

Hope to see you there,

The ANA Team
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Physicians / Re: Dr. Friedman and Dr. Schwartz- UCSD
« Last post by JosephJames on January 04, 2026, 09:05:32 PM »
Hello, I wanted to share my story for others who are looking at their options.

I had my second AN surgery done at UCSD a few weeks ago.  Dr.'s Friedman and Schwartz are incredible surgeons, and gentlemen too.  I think very highly of them and their program at UCSD.  They did an incredible job on me.  They achieved Gross Total Tumor Resection and simultaneously put in a Ponto BAHA.

I had lost a significant amount of hearing before my first surgery at Loyola (Maywood, IL.  Close to Chicago).  The surgeons there (Leonetti/Anderson) tried to resect the tumor and preserve what hearing I had with a Retrosigmoid approach but I woke up with very little hearing.  I could only hear super loud bass tones, and I scored a zero on word recognition.  Unfortunately, after surgery I also still had a 13mm tumor along my facial nerve. 

I was having bad headaches, so after my 9 month MRI I consulted UCSD and spoke with Dr. Friedman.  He gave me confidence that they could likely resect the whole tumor with another surgery.  In my situation, it was also advised that 'Watch & Wait' would be appropriate, but I'm relatively young (39) and in decent shape, and I wanted to proceed with a second surgery in order to give myself a chance to have the entire tumor taken out. 

My second surgery was a total success.  They got the whole tumor out, and I recovered very quickly.  I'm now back home in Chicago, and will be going back to work soon.

The program at UCSD was by far and away the best medical treatment I have ever received or seen.  Nothing else is in the same class.  From the surgeons (Friedman / Schwartz), to the PA, to the nurses, the hospital itself (Jacobs Medical Center), and the accommodations (Family House @ UCSD), the program is phenomenal. 

I'm so glad that I traveled to California to have my surgery done @ UCSD.  I'm grateful to the Dr's and their whole team there. 

If anyone wants to know more about UCSD or second surgeries, feel free to message me.  Thanks, Joe
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AN Issues / Re: New Diagnosis, waiting for an appointment with a specialist
« Last post by Mark F. on January 04, 2026, 08:08:25 PM »
I agree with Dan.  I actually started writing down my symptoms and questions as I got them.  It is really easy to forget what you wanted to ask when you are there.   I suggest a journal, and my surgeon was very happy to answer everything I could come up with. 
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