NF1 Treatment

The most common type of treatment for NF1 is surgery to remove the tumors that can become cancerous or harmful to the body. It is up to the patient to decide when to have the surgery because there are both many risks and benefits. Having surgery can be the difference between life and death. Radiation and chemotherapy are the main ways of reducing cancerous tumors. Also, kids with learning disabilities will be referred to appropriate medical specialists to monitor and treat any complications.^[1]

     Treating Complications

• Removal of neurofibromas (cosmetic purposes) 
• Chemotherapy
• Radiaton
• Medications to stop/slow growth of neurofibromas^[2]
• Treating Optic nerve gliomas.^[[3]

^[4]

NF2 Treatment

There is no treatment for NF2 that has been found to be 100 percent cureable. Early diagnosis can help with managing some symptoms and problems that may result from the disorder. The auditory nerve is mostly affected by tumors in the brain. Removing these tumors may cause deafness afterward. When parts of the auditory nerve are removed, hearing aids will not work.^[5] Some of the hearing problems can be fixed by using an auditory brainstem implant that was given permission to be used in 2000.^[6] This device transmits sounds directly to the brain, enabling the person to hear certain sounds and speech.^[7]

Auditory Brainstem Implant

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