Meta-analysis of tumor control rates in patients undergoing stereotactic radiosurgery for cystic vestibular schwannomas

Abstract Objective The use of SRS for treatment of cystic vestibular schwannoma is a topic of mild controversy. This review serves to introduce a renewed understanding of the efficacy of SRS as a viable treatment modality for cystic VS. Patients and methods This study was conducted in accordance with the PRISMA guidelines. A broad search of the literature was conducted in October 2018 through the PubMed, Scopus, Embase, Web of Science, and Cochrane databases. Meta-analysis was conducted on tumor control rates and heterogeneity between articles was assessed using τ2, Cochran’s Q, and I2 statistics. Results A total of 246 patients underwent SRS for cystic VS, with reported mean or median follow-up ranging from 49.7 to 150 months, and an overall range of 6–201 months. Following SRS treatment for cystic VS across all studies, 92% of patients had tumor control at follow up, (95%-CI: 88–95%). Tumor control rate specifically for patients who underwent GammaKnife was 93% (95-CI: 88%–95%). Conclusion Despite the paucity of pertinent data, the results of our meta-analysis suggest that SRS exhibits effective tumor control rates in patients with cystic VS. Therefore, SRS can be considered a viable treatment modality when choosing amongst interventions for cystic VS.