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Published on: October 4, 2010
Clonal origin of recurrent meningiomas
A von Deimling1, J Larson, R Wellenreuther
1Department of Neuropathology, Charité, Humboldt University, Berlin, Germany. andreas.von_deimling@charite.de
Abstract:
Meningiomas are common intracranial and intraspinal tumors. They are treated primarily by surgical resection. Meningioma recurrence following surgery is frequent despite advances in microneurosurgery. However, it is not clear whether recurrent meningiomas, close or distant to the primary resection site, arise from incomplete resection, dissemination of tumor fragments or from independent tumor growth. In order to address the question of clonality in recurring meningiomas, we examined a series of five patients with a total of 14 tumors for X-chromosome inactivation in the tumor tissues. Four patients with a total of 11 meningiomas were informative for polymorphisms either in the PGK or the AR genes. All recurrent meningiomas were found to be clonal with respect to the primary lesions. This finding suggests a common molecular pathogenesis of primary meningioma and subsequent recurrences (p<0.01). In a sixth patient, we analyzed the NF2 gene for mutations in the primary and 5 recurrent meningiomas. All six lesions carried the identical NF2 mutation, strongly indicating a common origin for these tumors. We conclude that recurrent meningiomas usually arise from dissemination of tumor fragments, most likely at the time of the first surgical resection. Our data should alert to the potential of meningioma cells for seeding during surgical procedures.
Insights
Recurrent meningiomas often originate from tumor fragments disseminated during surgery, not independent growth. This study confirms clonality in recurring meningiomas, highlighting risks during resection.
Area of Science:
- Neurosurgery
- Oncology
- Genetics
Background:
- Meningiomas are common primary brain and spinal tumors treated by surgical resection.
- Recurrence is frequent despite surgical advances, but the origin of recurrent tumors remains unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the clonality of recurrent meningiomas relative to primary tumors.
- To determine if recurrences arise from incomplete resection, tumor fragment dissemination, or independent growth.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of X-chromosome inactivation patterns (PGK/AR genes) in primary and recurrent meningiomas from five patients.
- Mutation analysis of the NF2 gene in primary and recurrent meningiomas from a sixth patient.
Main Results:
- All analyzed recurrent meningiomas were clonal with respect to their primary lesions (p<0.01).
- Identical NF2 mutations were found in the primary and all recurrent tumors of the sixth patient.
- Findings strongly indicate a common origin for primary and recurrent meningiomas.
Conclusions:
- Recurrent meningiomas typically arise from tumor cell dissemination during initial surgical resection.
- Meningioma cells have a potential for seeding during surgical procedures, necessitating careful surgical technique.
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