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Treatments and drugs
By Mayo Clinic staffThe treatment you receive for a meningioma depends on many factors, including the size of your meningioma, where it's located and how aggressive it's believed to be. Your doctor will also take into consideration your overall health and your goals for treatment.
No treatment
Immediate treatment isn't necessary for everyone with a meningioma. A small, slow-growing meningioma that isn't causing signs or symptoms may not require treatment.
If you choose not to undergo treatment for your meningioma, you'll likely have brain scans periodically to evaluate your meningioma and look for signs that it's growing. Your doctor creates a personalized follow-up schedule for you. For instance, you might undergo brain scans every few months at first and then have scans done annually. If at any time your doctor determines your meningioma is growing and needs to be treated, you have several treatment options.
Surgery
If your meningioma causes signs and symptoms or shows signs that it's growing, your doctor may recommend surgery. Surgeons work to remove the meningioma completely. But because a meningioma may occur near many delicate structures, such as your brain, eyes and spinal cord, it isn't always possible to remove the entire tumor. In those cases, surgeons remove as much of the meningioma as possible.
Surgery may carry a chance of significant risks, including infection and bleeding. The specific risks of your surgery will depend on where your meningioma is located. For instance, surgery to remove a meningioma that occurs around the optic nerve can lead to vision loss. Ask your surgeon about the specific risks of your surgery.
Radiation therapy
If your meningioma can't be completely removed, your doctor may recommend radiation therapy following surgery. The goal of radiation therapy is to destroy any remaining meningioma cells and reduce the chance that your meningioma may recur. Radiation therapy uses a large machine to aim high-powered energy beams at the tumor cells.
Radiosurgery
Radiosurgery is a specific type of radiation treatment that aims several beams of powerful radiation at a very precise point. Contrary to its name, radiosurgery doesn't involve scalpels or incisions. Radiosurgery may be an option for people with meningiomas that can't be removed with conventional surgery or for meningiomas that recur despite treatment.
- Abeloff MD, et al. Abeloff's Clinical Oncology. 4th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Churchill Livingstone; 2008:1109.
- Marosi C, et al. Meningioma. Critical Reviews in Oncology/Hematology. 2008;67:153.
- Asthagiri AR, et al. Current concepts in management of meningiomas and schwannomas. Neurologic Clinics. 2007;25:1209.
- Meningioma. Cancer.Net. http://www.cancer.net/patient/Cancer+Types/Meningioma. Accessed Jan. 6, 2009.
- Armstrong TS, et al. Use of complementary and alternative medical therapy by patients with primary brain tumors. Current Neurology and Neuroscience Reports. 2008;8:264.
