Bilateral Meningioma: A Case Report and Review of the Literature

Impact on natural history of atypical meningioma after changes in 2016 edition of the world health organization (WHO) classification of central nervous system tumors: a literature review

Meningiomas and their WHO histological diagnostic criteria is complex, especially for grade 2 tumors presenting a interobserver discordance as high as 12.2%. The 2016 edition of the WHO Classification of CNS tumors recommended brain invasion as a stand-alone grading criterion for diagnosing an atypical grade 2 meningioma (AM). To provide an overview of the classification of 2016 WHO impact on the natural history of atypical meningioma (AM) relative to previous classification. To achieve this goal, we selected articles from the period 2017-2024 in Medline search on atypical meningiomas and analyzed them after following the following criteria: 1) reports with confirmed histopathological diagnosis according to WHO 2016 and or 2021 criteria; 2) series and case reports; 3) detailed and individualized clinical outcomes for AM; and 4) papers written in English; after that a total of 3445 patients reported in 67 manuscripts from worldwide centers from 2017 to March 2024 were analyzed. The patient's age at the time of surgery ranged from 1 month to 97 years (mean 52.28 ± 18.7 years). The most common tumor site was the convexity, accounting for 67.8%, followed by the skull base in 30.6%, ventricle in 1%, and spine in 0.6%; Gross total resection (GTR) was performed in 71.25% and subtotal resection (STR) in 28.75%; 1021 patients (29.63%) underwent adjuvant radiotherapy, and 22 patients (0.6%) were treated with adjuvant chemotherapy; tumor recurrence was reported in 1221 patients (35.44%) and 859 deaths (24.93%). 1) AM prevalence in females; 2) AM age distribution similar to the distribution of meningiomas in general; 3) AM recurrence rate of 35.44%, despite the high rate of GTR, which was higher than previously reported; 4) deepening knowledge in molecular mechanism of tumor progression will provide alternative therapeutic approaches for AM.

A novel patient-derived meningioma spheroid model as a tool to study and treat epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in meningiomas

Meningiomas are the most common intracranial brain tumours. These tumours are heterogeneous and encompass a wide spectrum of clinical aggressivity. Treatment options are limited to surgery and radiotherapy and have a risk of post-operative morbidities and radiation neurotoxicity, reflecting the need for new therapies. Three-dimensional (3D) patient-derived cell culture models have been shown to closely recapitulate in vivo tumour biology, including microenvironmental interactions and have emerged as a robust tool for drug development. Here, we established a novel easy-to-use 3D patient-derived meningioma spheroid model using a scaffold-free approach. Patient-derived meningioma spheroids were characterised and compared to patient tissues and traditional monolayer cultures by histology, genomics, and transcriptomics studies. Patient-derived meningioma spheroids closely recapitulated morphological and molecular features of matched patient tissues, including patient histology, genomic alterations, and components of the immune microenvironment, such as a CD68 + and CD163 + positive macrophage cell population. Comprehensive transcriptomic profiling revealed an increase in epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in meningioma spheroids compared to traditional monolayer cultures, confirming this model as a tool to elucidate EMT in meningioma. Therefore, as proof of concept study, we developed a treatment strategy to target EMT in meningioma. We found that combination therapy using the MER tyrosine kinase (MERTK) inhibitor UNC2025 and the histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor Trichostatin A (TSA) effectively decreased meningioma spheroid viability and proliferation. Furthermore, we demonstrated this combination therapy significantly increased the expression of the epithelial marker E-cadherin and had a repressive effect on WHO grade 2-derived spheroid invasion, which is suggestive of a partial reversal of EMT in meningioma spheroids.