Diet and Lifestyle
There is no information to suggest that either diet or lifestyle is effective in the treatment of patients with acoustic tumors. Nevertheless, patients should maintain good nutritional status, particularly before any planned resective surgery in order to assist wound healing.

Pharmacologic Treatment
There is limited information regarding the role of chemotherapy or hormonal therapy for patients. Drug therapy does not play a role in almost all patients but could be considered for patients with tumors that recur despite resection or irradiation. Such patients are very rare.

Assistive Devices
The most important new assistive device for acoustic tumor patients is the brainstem auditory implant. This device has been used most often following tumor resection where hearing is lost. In some patients, sound recognition can be improved. Many patients remain frustrated with standard hearing aids. For patients with facial palsy, either caused by the tumor or following treatment, a gold weight tarsorraphy can help with eye care. This device is most often used in patients who have undergone a surgical resection followed by a pronounced facial nerve deficit that is unlikely to improve (ie. when anatomical continuity of the nerve is lost).

Physical/Speech Therapy and Exercise
Physical therapy is important for patients who have ataxia or limb weakness following acoustic tumor resection, or after placement of a shunt for hydrocephalus. Patients should remain active following surgery to reduce the chance for deep venous thromboses. In selected patients, balance retraining may be of benefit.

Emerging Therapies
Antineoplastic therapies such as chemotherapy or immunotherapy do not play a role in this disorder. Whether novel anti-angiogenesis approaches will be of value remains to be tested in preclinical and clinical trials. A nude mouse human xenograft model has been useful to test the effects of radiosurgery in the laboratory. This model may prove to be of value for testing other emerging therapies as well.

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