Long-term follow up of progesterone receptor status in benign meningioma: a prognostic indicator of recurrence?

Object. A long-term prospective analysis of patients with benign meningioma was undertaken to determine whether progesterone receptor (PR) status of t he excised tumor has any influence on recurrence. Methods. Between 1983 and 1985, a total of 62 meningiomas in 53 patients (a ge range 19-79 years, mean age 55.6 years) were studied for clinical, histo logical. and pathological characteristics, including hormone receptor statu s and DNA features. Progesterone receptor status was quantified by cryostat section assay, and then factors affecting recurrence were analyzed. During 1997 all case records were reviewed to determine whether tumor had recurre d in any patient, and PR status was correlated with tumor recurrence. Of the 62 tumors, 60 were benign; and of the benign tumors 29 (48%) were PR positive. Patients harboring 14 of the 60 benign tumors were lost to follo w up. Of the 46 rumors included in the final analysis, 13 were recurrent (a ll within 5 years) and 33 were nonrecurrent. Of the 33 nonrecurrent tumors, 14 had not recurred 5 to 10 years postresection and 19 had not recurred af ter more than 10 years, Chi-square analysis of the results did not show an association between recurrence and patient's sex, extent of resection, hist ological subtype, or tumor site but did show an association between recurre nce and PR negativity (p = 0.013). Conclusions. The results indicate that benign meningiomas that are PR posit ive are less likely to recur, a finding that has prognostic and therapeutic implications.