Contiguous Meningioma and B-Cell Lymphoma: A Scoping Review and Case Illustration

The diagnosis of a contiguous, synchronous meningioma and central nervous system B-cell lymphoma is rare and associated with paradoxical treatment paradigms. We performed a scoping review of contiguous meningioma and B-cell lymphoma and included an additional illustrative case.

The OVID Medline and PubMed databases were systematically searched using the Preferred Reporting Items of Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis guidelines. Only human clinical reports of contiguous, synchronous meningioma and B-cell lymphoma were included. We concurrently detailed a representative case from our institution.

Nine case reports met our criteria, including the present case. The average age at diagnosis was 67.4 years. Patients showed a female-to-male predominance of 7:2. The diagnosis of synchronous intracranial tumors was not suspected or discovered until after surgical resection in 100% of cases. All meningiomas were grade I on histopathologic diagnosis, while lymphomas were distributed between diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (56%), metastatic lymphoma (22%), Burkitt lymphoma (11%), and follicular lymphoma (11%). All patients underwent surgical resection. Patients (n = 5) treated with adjuvant chemotherapy had evidence of longer progression-free survival (median 12 months; range, 3-18 months) than patients without adjuvant chemotherapy (n = 2; median 2 months; range, 1-3 months).

Contiguous, synchronous meningioma/B-cell lymphoma is a rare diagnosis that may appear as an inconspicuous solitary intracranial neoplasm on imaging. Based on the limited cases and current treatment of lymphoma, progression-free survival may be contingent on the prompt initiation of chemotherapy targeting the lymphoma rather than surgical resection of the meningeal mass. Providers should prioritize prompt medical management.