Meningioma
University Hospitals Seidman Cancer Center is a national leader in the diagnosis and treatment of meningioma and other head tumors, tailoring treatment to each patient’s age, health conditions and individual needs. As one of the best cancer hospitals in the country by U.S. News & World Report for over 20 years, UH Seidman Cancer Center is part of the National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated Case Comprehensive Cancer Center at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine – one of an elite group of 53 such comprehensive cancer hospitals in the U.S.
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What is a Meningioma?
A meningioma, also called a meningeal tumor, originates in the meninges – the three membranes that surround the brain and spinal cord. Meningiomas are usually benign (noncancerous), meaning they don't spread to distant parts of the body like malignant (cancerous) tumors. But due to their close proximity to the brain and spinal cord, a meningioma can still cause serious neurological problems as its grows and compress on surrounding brain tissue, nerves and blood vessels.
Meningioma is the most common type of tumor that forms in the head. In addition, they are the most common type of brain tumors diagnosed in adults, occurring more frequently than cancerous brain tumors.
What Are the Causes of Meningioma?
Learn more about brain surgery treatment with Tiffany Hodges, MD. The underlying causes of meningiomas are not yet fully understood. However, researchers have found that a chromosomal abnormality exists in the majority of meningiomas, specifically one involving a chromosome responsible for suppressing tumor growth. This abnormality may occur spontaneously or in association with a family history of neurofibromatosis type 2 or breast cancer. Other familial syndromes that put people at higher risk for developing a meningioma include:
- Rubinstein-Taybi syndrome
- Li-Fraumeni syndrome
- Gardner syndrome
- Multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1
- Werner syndrome
Hormonal fluctuations may be involved in the development of some meningioma cases, but more research is needed to establish a definite connection. Other people at higher risk include individuals who have had radiation treatment to the head. Also, women are more significantly likely to develop meningiomas than men.
What are Meningioma Symptoms?
Meningiomas often grow slowly. Consequently, symptoms may not occur until the tumor becomes large. Also, the type of symptoms experienced depends on the location of the tumor. Possible meningioma symptoms include:
- Vision or hearing loss
- Trouble thinking clearly
- Trouble walking
- Seizures
- Loss of smell
- Arm or leg weakness
- Headaches
- Nausea
How Is a Meningioma Treated?
Meningioma treatment depends on such factors as whether the tumor is benign or malignant, location of the tumor, and the patient’s general health and preferences for potential treatment paths. Treatments include the following:
- Surgery
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Surgery is the most common method of treating meningiomas. If the meningioma is benign and located in a section of the brain where neurosurgeons can completely and safely remove it, resection surgery is usually the only treatment that will be required. The surgery is followed by periodic imaging to check for any recurrence of a tumor.
- Radiation Therapy
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If your neurosurgeon is unable to remove the tumor or can only remove part of it, radiation therapy may be needed. Radiation therapy can help shrink any remaining tumor tissue while helping to prevent the meningioma from spreading to surrounding tissues. Radiation therapy is also used to treat meningiomas in locations where surgery is not an option due to safety concerns. Even in cases where the tumor is entirely removed via surgery, some healthcare providers may recommend radiation therapy to help prevent another meningioma from forming, as meningiomas have a tendency to recur following surgery.
Radiation technologies used in the treatment of meningiomas include:
- GammaTile®: This surgically targeted radiation therapy involves the placement of a bioresorbable, flexible collagen tile within the brain immediately following tumor removal.
- Proton therapy: UH Seidman Cancer Center is the first hospital in Northeast Ohio to offer this innovative, powerful and technologically advanced therapy. Effective for both adults and children, proton therapy has less side effects than other forms of radiation therapy, resulting in better quality of life during treatment, while also reducing patient risk for the development of radiation-induced secondary cancers decades after treatment.
- Stereotactic Radiosurgery
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Stereotactic radiosurgery is a type of radiation therapy used to treat meningiomas and other cancers when conventional surgery is not an option due to safety concerns. Stereotactic radiosurgery differs from traditional radiation therapy in that stereotactic radiosurgery involves the use of precisely focused radiation beams. Unlike traditional radiation therapy, stereotactic radiosurgery exposes very little if any normal tissue to radiation.
Stereotactic radiosurgery can help shrink any remaining tumor tissue while helping to prevent the meningioma from spreading to surrounding tissues. Even when a tumor has been entirely removed through surgery, some healthcare providers may recommend radiation therapy to aid in preventing the formation of another meningioma, as meningiomas can recur following surgery.
Stereotactic radiosurgery technologies used in the treatment of meningiomas include:
- Gamma Knife®: An accurate form of stereotactic radiosurgery for the brain, this technology pinpoints a single area with numerous gamma radiation beams without damaging surrounding healthy tissue.
- Varian Edge™: This advanced, high-focus radiation beam radiosurgery system targets the DNA in cancer cells, destroying the cells. Unlike other radiosurgery systems that require the use of a rigid frame to secure a brain cancer patient’s skull during treatment sessions that can last several hours, Varian Edge delivers equally precise treatment without requiring a frame in as little as just a few minutes.
- Observation
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Observation refers to the periodic monitoring of a meningioma tumor with imaging tests without performing any immediate or invasive treatment. This approach can be an option in cases of small meningiomas that do not produce any significant signs or symptoms. If such a small meningioma does not grow following its discovery, the patient may never need treatment. If during the course of observation your doctor see that your meningioma is growing and needs to be treated, other treatment options can then be pursued.
- Drug Therapy
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Drug therapy (chemotherapy) is not often used in the treatment of meningiomas. However, it may be utilized in cases that cannot be treated successfully with surgery or radiation.
Innovative Clinical Research Leads to New Advances in Care
University Hospitals is an affiliate of Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, a nationally recognized leader in clinical research. UH Seidman Cancer Center currently conducts a number of clinical trials for patients with meningioma and other types of head tumors, giving patients access to new and innovative therapies and treatment options.
Reasons to Choose UH Seidman Cancer Center for Meningioma Treatment
Member of the Adult Brain Tumor Consortium, a consortium of 11 elite Centers of Excellence for brain tumors.
Provides meningioma patients with innovative clinical trials
The first stereotactic radiosurgery suite in Ohio to offer Gamma Knife® technology for malignant and benign brain tumors
The first hospital in Ohio to offer proton therapy – an innovative, technologically advanced cancer treatment
The second provider east of the Mississippi to offer Medtronic’s Stealth Autoguide precision robotic platform for brain surgery
The first cancer center to offer GammaTile®, a form of radiation that dissolves in the patient’s brain after placement at the end of brain surgery
One of the leading centers in the country for minimally invasive (Laser Interstitial Thermotherapy) combined with immunotherapy
A Team of Highly Trained, Compassionate Experts
Our multidisciplinary group evaluates and reviews every tumor case so that diagnosis and treatment decisions are based on the team’s combined expertise. Together, we work through every step of cancer care, always with a cure in mind, always with a focus on obtaining the best possible outcome for the patient. Our care team comprises:
- Genetic counselors
- Medical geneticists
- Medical oncologists
- Nurse navigators
- Nurse practitioners
- Pathologists
- Radiation oncologists
- Radiologists
- Social workers
- Surgical oncologists
At UH Seidman Cancer Center, each patient’s case is presented at weekly tumor board meetings, where our team conducts a disease-specific tumor board review to ensure that all treatment options are considered.