Meningioma is the most common type of brain tumour diagnosed in the UK. Here’s an overview, including the causes, symptoms, and the main treatment options.
Meningioma is the most common type of brain or spinal cord tumour diagnosed in the UK. According to Cancer Research UK, it accounted for 27 out of every 100 brain tumours diagnosed in England between 1995 and 2017, and they are more common in women than in men.
In the majority of cases, meningiomas are benign (non-cancerous), but they can cause symptoms that interfere with daily activities and affect quality of life.
Our expert consultant neurosurgeon, Mr. Matthias Radatz, provides a comprehensive guide to meningiomas in this informative video. Here’s an overview of the condition, including the causes, symptoms, and meningioma treatment options.
Meningiomas originate in the meninges, which is a membrane that forms the protective lining between the brain and skull or spinal cord. There are various subcategories of meningioma, depending on the location in the brain or spine. They usually grow slowly (with an average rate of one to two centimetres per year) and do not spread from or to other parts of the body.
Sometimes, multiple meningiomas may occur in different locations. If the tumour is growing inwards, it may give rise to neurological symptoms due to compression on the brain. Medical professionals group meningiomas into grades one to three, depending on the predicted rate of growth. Grade one is the slowest rate, while grade three is the highest rate.
Doctors do not fully understand the causes of meningioma. In some rare cases, there is a genetic predisposition called Neurofibromatosis type 2 (NF2). This is caused by a faulty gene that can be passed from a parent to a child, although it may develop spontaneously. NF2 symptoms may present in childhood, but they can take many years to develop.
The symptoms will vary according to the location and size of the tumour, and may be very subtle or do not cause any signs at all. For this reason, meningiomas are sometimes detected when a patient has a brain scan for another reason.
If meningioma symptoms are present, they may include:
Your doctor will discuss your individual symptoms with you, as more investigation may be required to establish the exact cause.
Diagnosis is typically made from analysing images of the brain and spinal cord. Imaging technology has advanced considerably in recent years, and even very tiny lesions can be detected. In most cases, a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan will be carried out as they provide the highest level of detail.
In some cases, blood tests, hearing tests, or vision tests may also be required.
The severity of the meningioma will vary depending on the number, size and location of the tumour. If it is growing very slowly and not causing any symptoms, the tumour may be actively monitored with an annual scan rather than treated.
If the tumour is causing symptoms or is growing and may cause symptoms in the future, then a treatment pathway will be devised by your medical team. Meningiomas are very individual, and planning the treatment may require multidisciplinary evaluation by specialist teams.
The main treatment options are surgery, radiosurgery and stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS). Surgery is the most invasive and risky treatment option, and it may not be suitable for all patients.
The least invasive treatment is SRS such as Gamma Knife Surgery. It is most appropriate for small tumours that are not growing very close to vital areas of the brain. SRS involves delivering one precisely calculated dose of radiation to the tumour site from an external machine.
The location of the tumour and the direction of the radiation beam are targeted with an extremely high level of accuracy, so that the tumour cells are deliberately damaged with an intense radiation dose, while very minimal or no damage is caused to the surrounding healthy tissue.
This greatly improves the effectiveness of the treatment and there is a much lower risk of side effects compared to other types of surgery. Most patients will need very little downtime after SRS treatment, and can travel home on the same day. Usually repeat treatments are not required.
If you would like to find out more detailed information about meningioma treatment and Gamma Knife surgery, please visit our website or contact one of our team today.
Centres of Excellence for Stereotactic Radiosurgery treatment of complex Brain Tumours
Want to know more about Gamma Knife Treatment?
Our friendly staff are here to help you, get in touch with them today