THE NATURAL-HISTORY AND GROWTH-RATE OF ASYMPTOMATIC MENINGIOMAS - A REVIEW OF 60 PATIENTS

Little is known about the natural history and growth rate of asymptoma tic meningiomas. To better delineate this problem, the authors reviewe d the clinical records and imaging studies of the last 60 patients dia gnosed with asymptomatic meningiomas at their institution. There were 45 women and 15 men, whose ages ranged from 38 to 84 years, with a mea n age of 66 years. The most common tumor location was convexity (25 pa tients), but virtually all locations were represented. Three patients were lost to follow up. The average clinical follow-up review of the r emaining 57 patients was 32 months (range 6 months to 15 years). None of the patients became symptomatic from an enlarging tumor during thei r follow-up period. Typically, once a meningioma was diagnosed, follow -up scans were obtained at 3 months, 9 months, and then yearly or ever y other year thereafter. Forty-five patients underwent follow-up scans , with comparison of tumor size to that found on the initial scan, ove r a period ranging from 3 months to 15 years. Thirty-five patients hav e shown no growth in their tumor size, with an average imaging follow up of 29 months (range 3-72 months). Ten patients have shown tumor gro wth calculated as an increase in the maximum diameter of the tumor. Th is growth ranged from 0.2 cm over 180 months to 1 cm over 12 months, w ith an average of 0.24 cm per year. Average imaging follow up for thes e patients was 47 months (range 6 months to 15 years). The authors con clude that patients with asymptomatic meningiomas need dose clinical a nd radiological follow up to rule out other disease processes and to r ule out rapidly enlarging tumors. Although the average follow-up time was short, the vast majority of these tumors appeared to show minimal or no growth over periods of time measured in years. With modem noninv asive imaging techniques, these tumors can be safely observed until th ey enlarge significantly or become symptomatic.