Abstract
BACKGROUND: Vestibular schwannoma (VS), also known as acoustic neuromas, are common tumors arising from the vestibulocochlear nerve and are located in the cerebellopontine angle. The benign tumor has a substantial impact on the patient-perceived quality of life (QoL) outcomes, which contribute to the decision regarding the ideal management plan. In this systematic review and meta-analysis, we aimed to compare the impact of microsurgery, radiotherapy, and observation on the QoL outcomes of VS patients. METHODS: This study was conducted in accordance with the PRISMA guidelines and a total of four research databases were searched for eligible studies from inception to May 2024. The primary outcome of the study was the Penn Acoustic Neuroma Scale (PANQOL) total score and the secondary outcomes included the PANQOL subdomain scores. Data was pooled using the random-effects model and analyzed as OR (odds ratio) with 95% CI (confidence interval). RESULTS: Compared to observation, radiotherapy was associated with superior QoL outcomes only in the face domain [MD (mean difference) = -4.59 [-7.29,-1.88]; I(2)= 85%; p = 0.0001], with observation being associated with superior outcomes across all others [PANQOL - total: MD = 4.94 [2.51,7.38]; I(2)= 85%; p = 0.0001]. Microsurgery, compared to radiotherapy, was associated with better outcomes only in the general domain [MD = -4.38 [-6.60,-2.16]; I(2)= 0%; p = 0.0001], with RT being associated with superior outcomes across all other domains [PANQOL - total: MD = 3.61 [1.29,5.93]; I2= 63%; p = 0.002]. Compared to microsurgery, observation was associated with superior QoL outcomes across all domains [PANQOL - total: MD = 9.22 [7.30,11.13]; I2= 64%; p = 0.0001]. CONCLUSION: The findings indicate that, broadly, observation is associated with better QoL outcomes relative to both radiotherapy and microsurgery; with radiotherapy superseding microsurgery. However, the association with QoL improvement was not uniform across all domains.