MENINGIOMA

A meningioma is a tumor generally located along the surface of the brain, spinal cord, or along a spinal nerve root. It is caused by an abnormal growth of cells located on the surface coverings (meninges) of these structures. These tumors comprise approximately one fifth of all brain tumors. In approximately 80% of the cases, the patient will be cured if the tumor can be completely removed. Meningiomas are typically slow-growing tumors that occur nearly twice as commonly in women. The most common age at time of diagnosis is 45 years. Rarely, these tumors occur in children and adolescents.

The majority of patients with meningiomas are cured with complete surgical removal. However, rarely these tumors can be cancerous (malignant) and may return rapidly, causing destructive changes in the normal surrounding tissues. Symptoms of brain tumors include morning headaches, visual changes, hearing changes, nausea and vomiting, weakness especially on one side of the body, numbness or tingling sensations, and loss of memory and the ability to think clearly. These tumors can recur within the first year after removal. Occasionally, meningiomas may irritate the surface of the brain, and patients may have epilepsy (seizure disorder) before or after surgical removal.

The treatment of meningioma is surgery. However, before surgery, your physician may want to get a computed tomography (CT) scan, a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) study, and/or an angiogram of the region containing the tumor. When the tumor is removed, it will be studied under a microscope to determine whether it is cancer. If cancer is discovered, then you may require additional treatment with radiation. Drug therapies currently being tested may be used for treating these tumors in the future. In some very select cases, noninvasive radiosurgery (focused radiation) may be used to treat deep tumors that are difficult to approach surgically. If you have seizures before or after your surgery, you may need to take an antiseizure medication to prevent further seizure activity.

• Follow treatment as prescribed by your doctor.
• Keep all follow-up appointments for surveillance of your tumor.
• Return to activity as prescribed by your doctor.
• Take medications as prescribed by your doctor.

• DON'T PANIC. In most cases your illness can be cured with surgery.
• If you have had a seizure, don't drive unless you have been cleared by your physician.

• If you have new or recurrent symptoms as noted above, or if they become markedly worse.
• If you have any problems associated with your medications.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Copyright © 2000 Mosby, Inc.
All rights reserved.  No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or for any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
For Comments/Suggestion send email to: webmaster@apma-nc.com