Controversies in radiotherapy for meningioma

Meningiomas are the most common primary intracranial tumour. Although external beam radiotherapy and radiosurgery are well-established treatments, affording local control rates of 85-95% at 10 years, the evidence base is mainly limited to single institution case series. This has resulted in inconsistent practices. It is generally agreed that radiotherapy is an established primary therapy in patients requiring treatment for surgically inaccessible disease and postoperatively for grade 3 tumours. Controversy exists surrounding whether radiotherapy should be upfront or reserved for progression for incompletely excised and grade 2 tumours. External beam radiotherapy and radiosurgery have not been directly compared, but seem to offer comparable rates of control for benign disease. Target volume definition remains contentious, including the inclusion of hyperostotic bone, dural tail and surrounding brain, but pathological studies are shedding some light. Most agree that doses around 50-54 Gy are appropriate for benign meningiomas and ongoing European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer and Radiation Therapy Oncology Group studies are evaluating dose escalation for higher risk disease. Here we address the 'who, when and how' of radiotherapy for meningioma.