Hi
My AN was 2.3 cm (same as yours) and I had gamma knife at Columbia University five years ago. Every AN is different, so all I can do is tell you about my experience and decision making. Yours may be completely different. Shape of tumor and age and other factors also come into play when deciding treatment options. After exploring all the options and visiting 4 top experts in this tumor in New York I chose gamma knife. Despite the fact that I still have many symptoms, I don't regret going the gamma knife route so far. I have no growth. Am I the same as I was before the AN, NO. I am on medications, with lots of symptoms, but have made peace with myself and the new normal that is me. I am happy to be around to watch my son grow and prosper into a fine young man, now in college. My AN is still the same size 5 years post gamma knife. I had swelling of the tumor post gamma knife, but it went down to same size eventually. My tumor never shrank. I also developed 5 nodules on my thyroid about one year post gamma knife which are being monitored lest they turn cancerous (so far so good, no cancer). They don't know if it is related to the radiation. But I still do not regret going the gamma knife route.
When I was exploring my options, NYU recommended surgery because my tumor was too large for gamma knife and I was too young (middle aged). Columbia U recommended gamma knife. The doctor at Columbia said surgery was barbaric in this day and age (5 years ago). The 4 surgeons I consulted also could not agree on how to approach the surgery -- go through the ear and destroy everything in the ear (which I didn't like in case stem cell research someday can regenerate the nerve), or to go from the back past the brain stem (which my husband, a doctor, was vetoing as too dangerous). Then they had different opinions as to whether to put a titanium plate or to leave the skull unprotected without it, with only skin covering the hole after the surgery (I hope I am not scaring you). NYU leaves it open because they felt the plate causes more problems and headaches than it's worth; Columbia and Mt. Sinai doctors put in the plate to protect the brain and not leave the hole with just skin covering it. Weil Cornell was recommending watch and wait for a while longer. My medical family (brother, father, husband doctors thought this was crazy). So with all these differing opinions among the surgeons, I chose gamma knife. This was five years ago. So I don't know if any progress has been made on any of these issues, but I am mentioning them so you can ask. A lot depends also not just on the size of your tumor but it's shape. Mine was (and still is) like a small ice cream cone with most of the tumor, the ice cream part, pressing on the brain stem and the cone part is inside the ear canal. In your case it may be different, so I would go see a few experts and make sure they are experts in AN with at least 500 AN patients under their belt during their career.
I too was very worried and freaked out when I got the diagnosis. But it will be OK. I promise. Hang in there.
D
