Anaplastic meningioma: case report

Intracranial meningiomas continue to challenge our best clinical efforts to eliminate them once discovered and deemed appropriate for treatment. Malignant meningiomas constitute 10% to 15% of all meningiomas and limited information exists regarding adjuvant treatment. The external whole brain irradiation is recommended. Traditional chemotherapy has proven ineffective; thus, new chemotherapeutic agents and new methods of delivery should be developed. Immunotherapy may be considered for patients with malignant meningiomas when all others previous treatment have failed. We report a case of anaplastic papillary meningioma. A 67-year-old man presented with partial complex seizures, headache and aggressiveness. A computerized tomography and magnetic resonance image demonstrated a large left temporo-occipital mass with diffuse contrast enhancement and extensive surrounding edema. A left temporo-occipital flap was performed. The tumor and the infiltrated dura were radically removed. Postoperatively, the patient remained neurologically intact. The treatment was complemented by external whole brain radiation.