I'm sorry to read of your diagnoses. I am one year since diagnoses, so I remember how much fun it was finding out I had an AN. With your size AN, you have plenty of time to, years really if you want, to decide on what to do about it. You will use some of that time, even if it is weeks, even if you want something done "now". So, settle in and take your time figuring out how to proceed.
At your age, I think radiation is a very viable choice. My opinion, shared by some and not by others, is that the older you are, the better of a choice RADIATION is.
As for the capabilities of it, it is pretty rare to actually shrink the tumor with radiation. Don't confuse variations in MRI results of post radiation MRI's as "shrinkage". It's not that it never happens, and it's not that it can't happen, but meaningful reduction of tumor size is generally not considered a goal of radiation treatment. As for symptoms, it is possible that radiation or conventional surgery will improve symptoms. This can and does happen, but I put the likelihood at low. People get used to symptoms, live with the ones that don't get better, and balance improves over time. Some then attribute this "success" to an improvement of symptoms due to treatment. With any treatment approach, there is the chance that symptoms will get better, worse, or stay the same.
Anywhoo, learn about all the different options, don't take my, or anyones' word alone for the pro's and con's of different approaches. Find Drs. that specialize in AN's and other skull base tumors and get their opinions.
There are thousands of AN patients, pre- and post- treatment in the USA. There are only a few dozen active posters on this board. The results of the people on this board are statistically small. Benefit from the anecdotal info on here, don't get too caught up in the results of fellow board members.
Edited to correct the capitalized word in paragraph 2.
