Intracranial and spinal meningiomas in patients with breast carcinoma: case reports

Breast carcinoma has a high predisposition to metastasize to the brain parenchyma or spinal epidural space with development of progressive neurological symptoms and signs and frequently death of the patient. We report 8 patients with known breast cancer who developed neurological symptoms attributable to an intracranial meningioma and 1 patient who developed spinal cord dysfunction resulting from a thoracic meningioma. The removal of the meningiomas resulted in return of normal neurological function in all patients. At follow-up, all our patients are alive without evidence of meningioma or breast carcinoma recurrence, except 1 patient who died of a metastatic malignant melanoma. This clinical association requires repeated emphasis because of the potential benefit in management of patients with suspected metastatic disease. We have reviewed and summarized the reported literature and added our 8 cases. The mean age of presentation before the second tumor was 6 years. Breast carcinoma was diagnosed first in 85% of cases. The clinical symptoms of the meningiomas were focal neurological signs in 50% of the patients, raised intracranial pressure in 40%, and a seizure in 10%.