Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 25, 2025
PET and MRI Guided Irradiation of a Glioblastoma Rat Model Using a Micro-irradiator
Published on: December 28, 2017
Radiation-induced meningiomas (RIM) in adults: A single-centre retrospective experience
Stamatios Banos1, Mary Solou1, Ioannis Ydreos1
1Department of Neurosurgery and Neurotraumatology, 'Attikon' University General Hospital, National and Kapodistrian University, Athens Medical School, Greece.
Introduction:
Radiotherapy of central nervous system (CNS) is treatment against many paediatric cancers, even if it is a well-recognized risk factor for meningioma formation. An increased risk of developing secondary brain tumors like radiation-induced meningiomas (RIM) is related to irradiated patients.
Research Question:
This retrospective study aims to present RIM cases treated in a single tertiary-hospital in Greece and compare the results with international literature and cases of sporadic meningiomas.
Materials And Methods:
A single-centre retrospective study of all patients diagnosed between January 2012 and September 2022 with RIM after having been irradiated in CNS for paediatric cancer was undertaken through hospital's electronic record and clinical notes, identifying baseline demographics and latency period.
Results:
Thirteen patients were identified with RIM diagnosis after receiving irradiation for Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia (69.2%), Premature Neuro-Ectodermal Tumour (23.1%), and Astrocytoma (7.7%). Median age at irradiation was 5 years old and 32 years old at RIM's presentation. The latent period from irradiation to meningioma diagnosis was 26.23 ± 5.96 years. After surgical excision, histopathologic results showed grade I meningiomas in 12 out of thirteen cases, while only one atypical meningioma was diagnosed.
Conclusion:
Patients who underwent CNS-radiotherapy in childhood for any condition have an increased risk of developing secondary brain tumors such as radiation-induced meningiomas. RIMs resemble sporadic meningiomas in symptomatology, location, treatment, and histologic grade. However, long-term follow-up and regular check-ups are recommended in irradiated patients due to short latency period from irradiation to RIM development, which means younger age patients than those with sporadic meningiomas cases.
