@jvo2020neb1: The neurosurgeon I consulted at UCSF said surgery is the first choice if the meningioma is in a space where nearby structures won't be compromised. Prior to meeting with the neurosurgeon I met with a radiation oncologist, the doctor who would oversee radiation therapy. Of course I asked him about side effects and when he told me there was a 5-10 per cent chance of radiation necrosis that was enough for me to look elsewhere. Also, I didn't want to go 5 days a week for 6 weeks and have to go through the rigamarole of having my head pinned down. And I tend to be claustrophobic; the whole mask thing gave me the eebie-jeebies. At 75 I'm good with 3 flights of stairs rather than take an elevator. My meningioma was 2.7 cm. and I was told that once it grew to 3 cm. radiation therapy wasn't an option. (Although I've read posts on this site that state they had radiation for larger lesions.) If the idea of a craniotomy is disconcerting there was a recent post by a person whose experience with the surgery was pretty much the same as mine, that being that it wasn't the terrible experience I had imagined at all. I posted 2 years ago I was at the door passing out Halloween candy 2 weeks post craniotomy.

@jvo2020neb1 Because mine was 4cm and I wasn't having any symptoms I weighed the fear of having a stroke or seizure in the future by surprise as a greater evil. I thought it would be an easier recovery from surgery than from a stroke. For me that was correct. I'm 6 weeks out and still tender but doing fine. I just got back from a girls' trip and feel confident in my decision. I'm 62.