Brain Invasion in Meningioma—A Prognostic Potential Worth Exploring

摘要

Meningiomas are benign tumors of the meninges and represent the most common primary brain tumor. Most tumors can be cured by surgical excision or stabilized by radiation therapy. However, recurrent cases are difficult to treat and alternatives to surgery and radiation are lacking. Therefore, a reliable prognostic marker is important for early identification of patients at risk. The presence of infiltrative growth of meningioma cells into central nervous system tissue has been identified as a negative prognostic factor and was therefore included in the latest WHO classification for CNS tumors. Since then, the clinical impact of CNS invasion has been questioned by different retrospective studies and its removal from the WHO classification has been suggested. There may be several reasons for the emergence of conflicting results on this matter, which are discussed in this review together with the potential and future perspectives of the role of CNS invasion in meningiomas.