Does Having Tinnitus Indicate A Tumour In The Ear?

Tinnitus is an unpleasant and often persistent condition, defined as hearing internal sounds in the ear, such as hissing, buzzing, ringing or tapping. While simple to define, however, it varies widely in both cause and severity. This means there is more than one way in which tinnitus treatment may be required.

In many cases, the causes of tinnitus are minor and the condition can be temporary. However, in others, the situation is chronic and requires medical intervention. Sometimes, the problem is an indication of a tumour in the ear, which requires treatment by means such as surgery or radiotherapy.

What Causes Tinnitus?

The causes of tinnitus include:

• - Exposure to excessive noise
• - Hearing loss, although this does not always correlate with tinnitus
• - Earwax or an ear infection
• - Head or neck injuries that damage the nerves in the ear
• - A side-effect of some medications, including some painkillers or anti-inflammatories
• - Meniere’s Disease
• - A tumour such as an acoustic neuroma, sometimes known as a vestibular schwannoma

These causes are very varied in their impact. For example, earwax or an ear infection can be treated and once this is done, the ear can soon return to normal and the tinnitus symptoms will cease. Similarly, if the cause is a side-effect of medication, desisting from taking it should be enough for the symptoms to cease.

Noise is a more complex issue. Sometimes the tinnitus symptoms can be temporary, for example, when caused by listening to loud music through headphones or being in a noisy concert or sports crowd. However, more persistent noise exposure can lead to permanent damage, which also includes hearing loss.

Similarly, injuries may be temporary or more severe, with the former meaning the problem soon goes away, while the latter may mean neurosurgery is required to restore the damaged nerve function.

What Is Meniere’s Disease?

Meniere’s disease is a more persistent problem, involving a fluid imbalance in the inner ear. The cause of this disease has not been fully established, but in addition to tinnitus, it can also manifest symptoms such as dizziness and hearing loss. Treatments for it include:

• - Prescription medications and diuretics
• - Smoking cessation
• - Corticosteroid injections
• - Surgery to cut the endolymphatic sac (which can contain excess fluid) or even cut the vestibular nerve

What Are The Signs Of Acoustic Neuroma?

As can be seen from this list, if you are suffering from tinnitus, there are many possible causes and therefore it is not, in and of itself, necessarily a sign of a tumour. However, if an acoustic neuroma is present, various symptoms may arise over time besides tinnitus:

• - Hearing loss
• - Loss of balance
• - Dizziness
• - Loss of feeling on one side of the face

MRI scans are used to confirm the presence of acoustic neuromas. However, it is important to note that the tumour can be present but asymptomatic for years before problems start to arise. This is because it is a benign (non-cancerous) tumour that grows very slowly.

However, once symptoms start, they can become quite severe quickly and it can eventually grow large enough to press against the brain, at which point it will be more dangerous and require significant medical intervention.

This kind of tumour causes hearing loss and tinnitus by pressing against the vestibular-cochlear nerve, which transmits sound signals from the inner ear to the brain.

How Can An Acoustic Neuroma Be Treated?

There are different options for treating an acoustic neuroma:

• - Motoring (if it is growing slowly and not causing major problems)
• - Surgery, which often involves a craniotomy (removal of part of the skull) to reach and excise the tumour
• - Radiotherapy. This is usually done through stereotactic radiosurgery using a Gamma Knife, with the radiation being used to damage the DNA of the tumours. This causes cells to break down and prevents them from multiplying, thus shrinking the tumour.

In some cases a combination of treatments may be used. For instance, it may not always be possible to surgically remove the whole tumour while preserving the vestibular-cochlear nerve. Radiotherapy can help to shrink any remaining parts.

The Gamma Knife was invented in the late 1960s by Swedish neuroscientist Lars Leksell. It was designed to carry out neurosurgery with great precision in areas where tumours or damaged nerves lie very close to the brain or other sensitive tissue.

Unlike other forms of radiotherapy, it concentrates high doses of radiation very precisely in particular areas while minimising the exposure of surrounding healthy tissue.

If you have been suffering from tinnitus, it is important to get a diagnosis of the cause. Sometimes it is a temporary problem. However, if it is a head or neck injury, Meniere’s disease or an acoustic neuroma, our advanced treatments could provide the solution you have been looking for.

Learn more about our advanced radiotherapy and neurosurgical treatments for Tinnitus and acoustic neuroma on the Queen Square website.