Clinical features and long-term outcomes of pediatric meningiomas

Pediatric intraparenchymal meningioma in the basal ganglia treated with gross total resection: a case report and review of the literature

INTRODUCTION

Intraparenchymal meningiomas in the basal ganglia are extremely rare, and to the best of our knowledge, only three case reports have been published to date. Owing to concerns regarding major vessels, gross total resection (GTR) is difficult to achieve; therefore, subtotal resection and radiation therapy are often chosen as treatment options. We present a pediatric case with an intraparenchymal meningioma in the left basal ganglia that was successfully treated with GTR. We also reviewed the relevant literature to discuss the pathogenesis, radiological findings, and treatment methods of this rare disease.

CASE REPORT

A 4-year-old girl presented with progressive right facial paralysis, aphasia, and right incomplete hemiplegia. Imaging revealed a mass lesion in the left basal ganglia and unilateral obstructive hydrocephalus. Neuroendoscopic septostomy, tumor biopsy, and cerebrospinal fluid reservoir placement were performed, and the initial pathological diagnosis was suspected glioma. Thus, craniotomy was performed to remove the tumor, which was white, elastic, and well-defined. Intraoperative rapid pathology revealed a meningioma. Postoperatively, the patient experienced transient worsening of the right incomplete hemiplegia, which subsequently improved. The final pathological diagnosis was a fibrous meningioma.

CONCLUSION

Surgery for intraparenchymal meningiomas in the basal ganglia is challenging owing to the proximity of major blood vessels; however, GTR may be preferable to subtotal resection, considering the possibility of recurrence. Even in cases of intraparenchymal tumors, it is important to consider meningioma as a differential diagnosis and to carefully plan the appropriate treatment.

Stereotactic Radiosurgery for Meningiomas in Children and Adolescents: An International Multi-Institutional Study

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

Meningiomas in children are uncommon, with distinct characteristics that set them apart from their adult counterparts. The existing evidence for stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) in this patient population is limited to only case series. The objective of this study was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of SRS in managing pediatric meningiomas.

METHODS

Children and adolescents who had been treated for meningioma with single-fraction SRS were included in this retrospective, multicenter study. The assessment included local tumor control, any complications related to the tumor or SRS, and the emergence of new neurological deficits after SRS.

RESULTS

The cohort included 57 patients (male-to-female ratio 1.6:1) with a mean age of 14.4 years who were managed with single-fraction SRS for 78 meningiomas. The median radiological and clinical follow-up periods were 69 months (range, 6-268) and 71 months (range, 6-268), respectively. At the last follow-up, tumor control (tumor stability and regression) was achieved in 69 (85.9%) tumors. Post-SRS, new neurological deficits occurred in 2 (3.5%) patients. Adverse radiation effects occurred in 5 (8.8%) patients. A de novo aneurysm was observed in a patient 69 months after SRS.

CONCLUSION

SRS seems to be a safe and effective up-front or adjuvant treatment option for surgically inaccessible, recurrent, or residual pediatric meningiomas.

Quality of Life, Clinical, and Patient-Reported Outcomes after Pencil Beam Scanning Proton Therapy Delivered for Intracranial Grade WHO 1-2 Meningioma in Children and Adolescents

PURPOSE

The purpose of this study was to report the clinical and patient-reported outcomes of children and adolescents with intracranial meningioma treated with pencil beam scanning proton therapy (PBS-PT).

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Out of a total cohort of 207 intracranial meningioma patients treated with PBS-PT between 1999 and 2022, 10 (4.8%) were children or adolescents aged < 18 years. Median age was 13.9 years (range, 3.2-17.2). Six (60%) children were treated as primary treatment (postoperative PT, n = 4; exclusive PT, n = 2) and four (40%) at the time of tumor recurrence. Acute and late toxicities were registered according to Common Terminology Criteria of Adverse Events (CTCAE). Quality of life (QoL) before PBS-PT was assessed using PEDQOL questionnaires. Educational, functional, and social aspects after PT were assessed through our in-house developed follow-up surveys. Median follow-up time was 71.1 months (range, 2.5-249.7), and median time to last questionnaire available was 37.6 months (range, 5.75-112.6).

RESULTS

Five (50%) children developed local failure (LF) at a median time of 32.4 months (range, 17.7-55.4) after PBS-PT and four (80%) were considered in-field. One patient died of T-cell lymphoma 127.1 months after PBS-PT. Estimated 5-year local control (LC) and overall survival (OS) rates were 19.4% and 100.0%, respectively. Except for one patient who developed a cataract requiring surgery, no grade ≥3 late toxicities were reported. Before PT, patients rated their QoL lower than their parents in most domains. During the first year after PT, one child required educational support, one needed to attend to a special school, one had social problems and another three children required assistance for daily basic activities (DBA). Three years after PT, only one child required assistance for DBA.

CONCLUSIONS

The outcome of children with intracranial meningioma treated with PBS-PT is in line with other centers who have reported results of radiation therapy delivered to this particular patient group. This therapy provides acceptable functional status profiles with no high-grade adverse radiation-induced events.

Lateral ventricle meningiomas in children: clinicopathological and neuroradiological features

PURPOSE

Lateral ventricle meningiomas (LVM) in children are very rare. The current research is mostly limited to adults, and there are very few related studies on children. The purpose of this study was to analyze the clinicopathological and imaging features of lateral ventricle meningiomas in children.

METHODS

A retrospective analysis of five children with pathologically confirmed lateral ventricle meningioma was performed, and we collected clinical data, including clinicopathological data, treatment prognosis data, and imaging features (including tumor location, signal intensity, enhancement degree, intratumoral cyst, calcification, peritumoral edema, and associated hydrocephalus).

RESULTS

Among the 5 patients with LVM, 4 were male and 1 was female with an average age of 7.6 years (range 2 to 12 years). All CT scans showed slight hyperintensity or isodensity, and only 1 patient had calcification. Two patients demonstrated cyst changes. Four patients had varying degrees of peritumoral edema. The average tumor volume was 164.1 cm³ (1.4-314.9 cm³). All 5 patients with LVM were iso- or hypointense on T1WI. The T2WI signals had no obvious features. Four patients had a high signal on DWI (80%). The contrast-enhanced signals were mostly homogeneously strong (80%). MRI showed hydrocephalus in 3 patients. All patients underwent gross total resection, and they were followed up regularly after the operation. The average follow-up time was 47.4 months. No recurrence was found in any of the children. All patients were pathologically confirmed to have meningiomas, and WHO grades were all grade I.

CONCLUSION

Lateral ventricle meningiomas in children are very rare, and the imaging manifestations of the tumor have certain characteristics, but the clinical diagnosis is still difficult, and the diagnosis still requires pathological analysis.

Trans-eyebrow supraorbital endoscope-assisted keyhole approach to suprasellar meningioma in pediatric patient: case report and literature review

Background

Meningiomas are rather uncommon tumors in the pediatric population, differing significantly from those found in adults by their atypical location, higher rate of more malignant types, consequently higher risk of recurrence and a less favorable outcome. Even in children, suprasellar meningiomas without dural matrix are rare findings mimicking more common suprasellar lesions.

Case presentation

Here we describe a case of a 12-year-old girl who presented with a rapidly progressing chiasmal syndrome and was diagnosed by MRI with an unusual suprasellar tumor that could not fit the diagnoses expected in a case of a parasellar mass in a child, similar to a craniopharyngioma or optic pathway glioma. After multiple clinical investigations, the tumor etiology was still unclear, so the preferred option of treatment was surgical resection. An endoscope-assisted gross total resection through a supraorbital keyhole approach was performed uneventfully, with total vision recovery in a short time. Benign meningiomas located in the skull base without dural attachment appear to be rare, even in pediatric patients.

Conclusion

Differential diagnoses of suprasellar and para sellar tumor lesions in pediatric patients can be confusing. There are peculiar features of pediatric tumor diseases that should be considered while working out the management strategy. The main principle of meningioma treatment is the highest possible extent of resection minimally affecting the quality of life.