Efficacy of conventional radiotherapy for recurrent meningioma

Results of radiation therapy for 20 patients with recurrent meningioma were analyzed. The patients included 8 men and 12 women, with a median age of 55 years. All of the patients had undergone at least one operation prior to the reoperation preceding radiotherapy. Ten patients had benign meningiomas, while 4 and 6 patients had atypical and malignant meningiomas, respectively, at the time of radiotherapy. The median radiation dose was 59.4 Gy (range: 50-61.2 Gy). The local control rate at 5 years was 36% for all 20 patients (41% for benign meningiomas and 30% for atypical or malignant meningiomas). The 5-year survival rate was 47%. Excluding 2 patients whose follow-up period was shorter than the preradiotherapy interval from the previous operation, the postradiation recurrence-free period was longer than the preradiotherapy interval in 50% (9/18) of the patients. No serious complications of radiotherapy were observed. Radiotherapy seemed to be effective in controlling the tumor or delaying recurrence in at least half of the patients. However, higher doses of radiation, using sophisticated radiation techniques, may be necessary to obtain higher control rates.