Meningioma

Meningiomas are typically slow-growing, noncancerous tumors that form in the membranes that surround the brain on the inside of the skull. People with meningiomas generally have a good prognosis, but even the most benign forms can regrow after treatment and become problematic and even life threatening. Grade I (benign) meningiomas can be managed with surgery and/or radiotherapy, but there is a risk of tumors coming back (recurring), particularly if they are not completely removed. Grade II (atypical) and grade III (anaplastic or malignant) tumors are more likely to recur after treatment.

Meningioma Treatment
The neurosurgeons, neuro-oncologists, and radiation oncologists at Yashoda Cancer Institute have deep experience in managing meningiomas at all stages. We see patients from all over the world with the most difficult brain tumor cases, including meningiomas. Our doctors try to help relieve patients’ symptoms and to slow or stop the advance of these resistant tumors using surgery, radiation, and drug therapies.

Our treatment approaches include:

• MRI-guided microneurosurgery
• Stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS)
• Image-guided radiation or re-irradiation
• Targeted-drug therapy and chemotherapy
• Immunotherapy

Surgery for Meningioma
Meningiomas can occur anywhere along the skull lining. The tumor’s location largely determines how complex a surgery will be. Tumors lying over the top of the brain can be straightforward to remove surgically, while those at the skull base can require hours of surgery by teams of surgeons. Such complicated surgeries often demand difficult maneuvers around and through skull bones. As a result, sometimes not all of the tumor can be removed. This is especially true if there is involvement of important arteries, veins, and cranial nerves, or even invasion into the brain itself. All of these problems are amplified for tumors that have regrown.