Meningiomas

Meningiomas are extra-axial dural-based tumors. They are the most common intracranial tumors, occur in mid to late life, and have a female predilection. Symptoms are a function of location. Meningiomas are usually benign, but atypical and malignant forms exist. Treatment is indicated for symptomatic lesions or when neurologic symptoms may shortly occur. Surgical resection can be curative; however, because of their location, some lesions are amenable only to partial resection. Radiation therapy is used for incompletely removed symptomatic lesions, lesions that are not surgically accessible, and small symptomatic lesions. For higher grade meningiomas, radiation is used after surgery. For lesions that recur or grow despite surgery and radiation, systemic chemotherapy can be tried. There is no optimal agent, but hydroxyurea is used most often with very modest success; hormonal approaches have not been successful. Targeting somatostatin receptors or receptor tyrosine kinases using novel agents appears to have some activity and is an area of clinical research.