Understanding Meningioma Brain Cancer: A Comprehensive Guide

Meningioma brain cancer refers to tumors that originate in the meninges, the protective membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord. While the term might sound alarming, it’s important to know that most of the time, a meningioma is a tumor that is not cancerous (benign).

However, even these non-cancerous tumors can cause problems depending on where they are, how big they get, and how they grow slowly or quickly.

In this article we will help you understand meningioma brain cancer better, including what it is, the different types of meningiomas, what might make someone have a higher risk of developing a meningioma, the signs to look for, how it’s diagnosed, the different treatment options, and what to expect in the long term.

What is a Meningioma?

Imagine your brain and spinal cord are precious electronics, and the meninges are like several layers of strong, protective wrapping around them. These layers, called the dura mater, arachnoid mater, and pia mater, keep everything safe and sound. Meningiomas start in the arachnoid layer.

Meningiomas are a common type of brain tumor in adults, making up about 30% of all brain tumors. They can happen to anyone at any age, but they are more often found in older people and are more common in women than men.

One of the main things about meningiomas is that they usually grow slowly. Because they are often slow growing, you might not notice any symptoms for a long time, sometimes years. Problems usually start when the tumor gets big enough to press on the brain tissue, nerves, or blood vessels around it.

The Different Kinds of Meningiomas

Not all meningiomas are the same. Doctors look at how the tumor cells appear under a microscope to decide what grade the meningioma is. The grade tells them how likely the tumor is to grow and come back. There are three main grades:

Grade I (Benign)

These are the most common kind. They grow slowly and have clear edges. They usually don’t invade the brain tissue. Even though they are not cancerous, they can still cause problems depending on where they are and how big they get.

Grade II (Atypical)

These are more likely to come back after treatment than Grade I meningiomas. They might also grow faster and can sometimes start to look like cancer cells, but they are not as aggressive as Grade III tumors.

Grade III (Anaplastic or Malignant)

These are the least common but the most aggressive. They grow quickly, are more likely to invade the brain tissue, and have a higher chance of coming back or even spreading. These are considered anaplastic meningiomas and are cancerous. The long term outlook for these is not as good as for lower grades.

When doctors talk about meningiomas include, they are often referring to these different grades and sometimes specific locations of the tumor.

Where in the Body Do Meningiomas Grow?

Meningiomas can pop up in different places where the meninges are found, both in the brain and around the spinal cord. Some common spots include:

On the surface of the brain (Convexity Meningiomas): These are on the outer curve of the brain.
At the base of the skull (Skull Base Meningiomas): This is the area underneath the brain. Olfactory groove meningiomas, which can affect your sense of smell, are one type found here. Tumors in this area can also affect nerves that control your face, hearing, and swallowing.
Near the large vein on top of the brain (Parasagittal Meningiomas): These grow close to the sagittal sinus.
Around the spinal cord (Spinal Meningiomas): These are less common than in the brain.

The location of the meningiomas grow is very important because it affects what symptoms you might have and how easy it is for doctors to treat them.

What Puts Someone at a Higher Risk?

We don’t always know exactly why someone gets a meningioma, but there are some factors including certain things that can increase the risk of developing a meningioma:

Age: They are more common as people get older.
Gender: Women are more likely to get them than men.
Radiation: If you’ve had radiation therapy to your head in the past, even for a different condition, your risk might be higher.
Genetic Problems: Some inherited conditions, like neurofibromatosis type 2, can make you more likely to get meningiomas.
Hormones: There might be a link between hormones and these tumors since they are more common in women and sometimes have hormone receptors. This is still being studied.
Weight: Some research suggests that people who are overweight might have a slightly higher risk.

It’s important to remember that many people who get meningiomas don’t have any of these risk factors.

What Are the Signs That Someone Might Have a Meningioma?

Because meningiomas grow slowly, you might not have any symptoms for a long time. When symptoms do appear, they depend on where the tumor is and what part of the brain tissue or nerves it’s pressing on. Some common type of symptoms include:

Headaches that don’t go away or are getting worse.
Weakness in your arms or legs.
Changes in your vision, like blurry vision or seeing double.
Trouble speaking or understanding words.
Seizures (like fits).
Changes in your personality or behavior.
Problems with balance or walking.
Hearing loss or ringing in your ears.
Loss of your sense of smell, especially if the tumor is near the olfactory groove meningiomas.

If you have any of these problems and they don’t go away, it’s important to see a doctor.

How Do Doctors Find Out if It’s a Meningioma?

To figure out if someone has a meningioma, doctors usually do a few things:

Neurological Exam: They will check your vision, hearing, balance, reflexes, and coordination to see if there are any problems.
Imaging Scans:Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) Scan: This is the best way to see meningiomas. An magnetic resonance imaging mri scan gives very detailed pictures of the brain and can show the size and location of the tumor. Doctors often use a special dye during the MRI to make the tumor show up better.
CT Scan: A ct scan uses X-rays to create pictures of the brain. It can also show meningiomas, especially if they have calcium deposits or if doctors need to see the bones of the skull.
Biopsy: The only way to know for sure what kind of tumor it is and what grade it is, is to take a small piece of the tumor (biopsy) and look at it under a microscope. This can happen during surgery to remove the tumor, or sometimes a needle is used to take a small sample.

How Are Meningiomas Treated?

The treatment options for a meningioma depend on many factors including the grade of the tumor, its size and location, how fast it’s growing, and your overall health.

Watching and Waiting

If the meningioma is small, grow slowly, and not causing any problems, doctors might just keep an eye on it with regular magnetic resonance imaging mri scan or ct scan to see if it’s growing. This is often done in older people or if surgery might be risky.

Surgery

If the meningioma is causing symptoms or is growing, the main treatment option is usually to have it surgically removed. The goal is to take out as much of the tumor as possible without damaging any important parts of the brain. How easy it is to surgically removed the tumor depends on where it is located and if it’s attached to important blood vessels or nerves.

Radiation Therapy

Radiation therapy uses high-energy rays to kill tumor cells. It can be used after surgery to get rid of any tumor that was left behind, or it can be the main treatment if the tumor can’t be surgically removed. There are different kinds of radiation therapy:

External Beam Radiation Therapy: This is when radiation is aimed at the tumor from outside your body.
Stereotactic Radiosurgery: This is a very focused type of radiation therapy, like using a magnifying glass to focus sunlight. It delivers a high dose of radiation therapy to a small area. Techniques like Gamma Knife and CyberKnife are types of stereotactic radiosurgery and can be very good for treating small to medium-sized meningiomas.

Other Treatments

Sometimes, for tumors that keep coming back or are very aggressive, doctors might consider other treatments like:

Targeted Therapy: These are drugs that attack specific things in cancer cells to stop them from growing. They are not used as often for meningiomas as they are for some other cancers, but research is ongoing.
Chemotherapy: This uses drugs to kill cancer cells all over the body. It’s not usually very helpful for most meningiomas but might be used in rare cases of very aggressive tumors.
Clinical Trials: These are research studies testing new ways to treat meningiomas. Joining a clinical trial can give you access to cutting-edge treatments.

The best treatment plan is always made just for you by a team of doctors who specialize in brain tumors.

What to Expect in the Long Term?

What happens in the long term for someone with a meningioma depends a lot on the grade of the tumor, where it was, how much of it could be removed, and your overall health [5]. For benign (Grade I) meningiomas that are completely surgically removed, the outlook is often very good. However, even these can sometimes come back.

If the meningioma was a higher grade (Grade II or III), the chance of it coming back is higher, and the long term outlook might not be as good [1]. Regular check-ups and magnetic resonance imaging mri scan are important to watch for any signs of the tumor returning.

After treatment, some people might have long term problems depending on where the tumor was and what treatment they had. This might include problems with movement, speech, or thinking. They might need help from therapists to recover these skills.

Meningioma brain cancer is a condition where tumors grow from the protective coverings of the brain and spinal cord. While most are not cancerous and grow slowly, they can still cause significant issues.

Understanding the different types of meningiomas, the risk factors, how they are diagnosed, and the various treatment options is crucial for anyone affected by this condition.

With careful monitoring and the right treatment, many people with meningiomas can live full and active lives. Ongoing research offers hope for even better treatments and outcomes in the future.

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