Malignant Meningioma: An International Multicentre Retrospective Study

Area of Science:

• Neuro-oncology
• Neurosurgery
• Pathology

Background:

• Malignant meningiomas (MM) are rare tumors with a poor prognosis, unlike benign meningiomas.
• Existing research on MM often involves small patient cohorts, limiting comprehensive analysis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the outcomes of malignant meningioma (MM) patients.
• To identify prognostic factors influencing survival in malignant meningioma (MM).

Main Methods:

• Retrospective review of pathology reports and clinical data from 178 MM patients across 6 international institutions (1989-2017).
• Analysis included surgical resections, radiotherapy, and patient history of lower-grade meningiomas.
• Median follow-up was 4.5 years.

Main Results:

• Overall survival at 1, 5, and 10 years was 77.7%, 40%, and 27.9%, respectively. Median overall survival was 2.9 years.
• Independent prognostic factors for survival included age <65 years at surgery, prior benign/atypical meningioma surgery, complete resection, and adjuvant radiotherapy.
• 63.4% of patients were deceased at data collection.

Conclusions:

• This study confirms the generally poor prognosis of malignant meningioma (MM), highlighting treatment challenges.
• Complete resection and postoperative radiotherapy may improve survival for younger patients (<65 years) with primary MM.
• Achieving local tumor control remains difficult despite aggressive treatment strategies.