Intracranial meningioma and breast cancer

Breast carcinoma has a high predisposition to metastasize to the brain parenchyma. An association between carcinoma of the breast and intracranial meningioma has been reported. The available published articles regarding patients with intracranial meningioma and breast carcinoma have been reviewed. To the best of our knowledge, 86 cases including our 4 cases have so far been reported. All cases were female, and the mean age was 62.4 years when intracranial meningioma was diagnosed. The mean interval of the 2 tumours was 4.5 years. Twenty-five cases of breast tumour were infiltrating duct carcinomas. The location of intracranial meningioma and pathologic subtype showed no specific predominance. Hormone receptor study was performed in 28 cases. In meningioma, the positive rate of progesterone receptor (32.1%) is higher than oestrogen receptor (7.1%); while the positive rate of oestrogen receptor (53.6%) is higher than the progesterone receptor (42.9%) in breast cancer. A review of this study is presented with emphasis on the existence of intracranial meningioma and breast cancer in one patient at different periods. Lesions of the central nervous system in patients with breast cancer should not be immediately labeled as metastases. Intracranial meningioma should be excluded. Likewise, patients with meningioma should have periodic physical examinations and mammographies whereby disease may be diagnosed and treated at an early stage