Integrative genomic analysis identifies CCNB1 and CDC2 as candidate genes associated with meningioma recurrence

Meningiomas are a common type of primary central nervous system tumor. Patients with atypical meningioma are difficult to treat and their disease often recurs. The aim of this study was to examine the role of CCNB1 and CDC2 as factors in recurrent meningiomas. A total of 37 sporadic meningioma samples were collected after surgery. The messenger RNA (mRNA) levels of the biomarkers CCNB1, CDC2, and MKI67 were tested using quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. We performed statistical analyses using ANOVA and Spearman correlation analysis. We found a significant upregulation in CCNB1 (1.5-fold), CDC2 (1.4-fold), and MKI67 (1.8-fold) expression in recurrent tumors in comparison with primary tumors (P<0.05). Additionally, we found significant upregulation of CCNB1 and MKI67 in recurrent tumors in comparison with primary tumors of benign meningiomas (P<0.05). We also compared the average change in expression level of the three genes (CCNB1, CDC2, and MKI67) in atypical/anaplastic versus benign meningiomas; the difference between the groups was highly significant (P<0.001). Our study indicates, for the first time, that an increased risk for sporadic benign meningioma recurrence can be found in cases with elevated expression of CCNB1. This suggests that expression of CCNB1 might be a potent tool for predicting the clinical prognosis of meningioma patients.