Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2011;16(11):1604-13.
doi: 10.1634/theoncologist.2011-0193. Epub 2011 Oct 25.

Update on meningiomas

Santosh Saraf  1 , Bridget J McCarthy, J Lee Villano
Affiliations
Review

Update on meningiomas

Santosh Saraf et al. Oncologist. 2011.

Abstract

Although meningiomas are the most common tumor in the central nervous system, their incidence, epidemiology, and clinical outcomes have historically been poorly defined. This has been attributed to their benign course, difficulty obtaining histologic diagnosis, and lack of uniform database registration. Their clinical behavior can range from a silent incidentaloma to a lethal tumor. Projections of an aging population should raise medical awareness of an expectant rise in the incidence of meningiomas. This disease increases with advancing age, has a female predilection, and exposure to ionizing radiation is associated with a higher risk for disease development. There have been minimal advances in treatment, except in radiation therapy. Although no U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved systemic therapy exists, there are treatment options that include hydroxyurea and sandostatin. Currently, no molecularly targeted therapy has provided clinical benefit, although recurring molecular alterations are present and novel therapies are being investigated.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Disclosures: Santosh Saraf: None; Bridget J. McCarthy: None; J. Lee Villano: None.

Section Editors Tracy Batchelor: Merck, Roche/Genentech, Millennium, Spectrum, Imedex, Educational Concepts (H); NIH, Pfizer, Millennium, AstraZeneca (RF); Jean-Yves Delattre: French National Institute of Cancer, Ligue Nationale contre le Cancer, Association pour la Recherche sur le Cancer (RF).

Reviewers “A” and “B”: None.

Similar articles

  • Management of Atypical and Anaplastic Meningiomas.
    Buttrick S, Shah AH, Komotar RJ, Ivan ME. Buttrick S, et al. Neurosurg Clin N Am. 2016 Apr;27(2):239-47. doi: 10.1016/j.nec.2015.11.003. Epub 2016 Feb 20. Neurosurg Clin N Am. 2016. PMID: 27012388 Review.
  • Meningioma.
    Marosi C, Hassler M, Roessler K, Reni M, Sant M, Mazza E, Vecht C. Marosi C, et al. Crit Rev Oncol Hematol. 2008 Aug;67(2):153-71. doi: 10.1016/j.critrevonc.2008.01.010. Epub 2008 Mar 14. Crit Rev Oncol Hematol. 2008. PMID: 18342535 Review.
  • Current treatment options for meningioma.
    Apra C, Peyre M, Kalamarides M. Apra C, et al. Expert Rev Neurother. 2018 Mar;18(3):241-249. doi: 10.1080/14737175.2018.1429920. Epub 2018 Jan 22. Expert Rev Neurother. 2018. PMID: 29338455 Review.
  • Meningiomas in 2009: controversies and future challenges.
    Campbell BA, Jhamb A, Maguire JA, Toyota B, Ma R. Campbell BA, et al. Am J Clin Oncol. 2009 Feb;32(1):73-85. doi: 10.1097/COC.0b013e31816fc920. Am J Clin Oncol. 2009. PMID: 19194129 Review.
  • Atypical meningiomas.
    Chen R, Aghi MK. Chen R, et al. Handb Clin Neurol. 2020;170:233-244. doi: 10.1016/B978-0-12-822198-3.00043-4. Handb Clin Neurol. 2020. PMID: 32586495 Review.
See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Central Brain Tumor Registry of the United States (CBTRUS) Hinsdale, IL: CBTRUS; 2010. [accessed March 2, 2010]. CBTRUS Statistical Report: Primary Brain and Central Nervous System Tumors Diagnosed in the United States in 2004–2006. Available at http://www.cbtrus.org/2010-NPCR-SEER/CBTRUS-WEBREPORT.
    1. Schellinger KA, Propp JM, Villano JL, et al. Descriptive epidemiology of primary spinal cord tumors. J Neurooncol. 2008;87:173–179. - PubMed
    1. Bondy M, Ligon BL. Epidemiology and etiology of intracranial meningiomas: A review. J Neurooncol. 1996;29:197–205. - PubMed
    1. Longstreth WT, Jr, Dennis LK, McGuire VM, et al. Epidemiology of intracranial meningioma. Cancer. 1993;72:639–648. - PubMed
    1. Buetow MP, Buetow PC, Smirniotopoulos JG. Typical, atypical, and misleading features in meningioma. Radiographics. 1991;11:1087–1106. - PubMed

Publication types