Comparative analysis of intracranial meningiomas in patients younger than 40 years

Intracranial meningiomas are relatively rare in young adults, and their specific clinical features remain unclear. The authors analyzed the clinical characteristics of intracranial meningioma in patients younger than 40 years.

Consecutive patients younger than 40 years with meningioma (n = 223) who underwent surgical treatment at our hospital from 2010 to 2018 were retrospectively reviewed. The study cases was further divided into a younger group (≤ 30 years old; n = 63) and an older group (31-40 years old; n = 160). The clinical information, radiological characteristics, intraoperative findings, and pathological outcomes were extracted from the patients' records and statistically analyzed.

Intracranial meningioma is uncommon in patients younger than 40 years (8.6%). The study group's most common symptoms at presentation were headaches (46.7%), visual impairment (27.8%), limb weakness (20.6%), and epilepsy (13.5%). The mean tumor size was larger (51.47 ± 50.36 cm³) in the younger group than in the older group (22.94 ± 27.20 cm³). According to multivariate analyses, young age was an independent predictor of large tumor size, and large tumor size was significantly associated with peritumoral brain edema and intraoperative blood loss.

Intracranial meningiomas in younger adult patients may have special complexity and perioperative risk due to large tumor sizes. Therefore, individualized treatment strategy is recommended, and the appropriate caution should be taken during surgery.