Meningiomas

When I had my appt with Dr Black I was given a number of brochures and handouts about preparing for neurosurgery, meningiomas, the hospital, etc. I thought I'd put some of the info on meningiomas here so everyone can understand what it is. Remember when you read this that I have no symptoms, this was caught by accident and Dr Black is going to take it out before it can do any damage. Also by removing the bone completely there is a much lesser chance of this recurring. I'm lucky that the meningioma that I have is not in my brain cavity, orbital meningiomas make up 1% of all meningiomas. The following is from "Your Meningioma Diagnosis" written by Nancy Conn-Levine, Lorraine Rubino-Levy, and Dr Peter McLaren Black, sponsored by the Brain Science Foundation:

What Is A Meningioma?
A meningioma (meh-ninn-jee-OH-mah) is a type of tumor that develops from the meninges (meh-ninn-jeez), the membrance that surrounds the brain and spinal cord. There are three layers of meninges, called the dura mater, arachnoid, and pia mater. Most meningiomas are categorized as benign tumors. However, unlike benign tumors elsewhere in the body, benign brain tumors can cause disability and may sometimes be life threatening. In many cases benign meningiomas appear to grow slowly. This means that depending upon where it is located, a meningioma may reach a relatively large size before it causes symptoms. Other meningiomas grow more rapidly, or have sudden growth spurts. Some meningiomas are classified as atypical or malignant tumors.

There is no way to predict the rate of growth of a meningioma, or to know for certain how long a specific tumor was growing before diagnosis. Although most people develop a single meningioma, it is possible to have several tumors growing simultaneously in different parts of the brain and spinal cord. When multiple meningiomas occur, more then one type of treatment may have to be used. Meningiomas appear to develop about twice as frequently in woman as in men, although they can occur in both sexes and at any age. They are the only variety of central nervous system tumor diagnosed more often in women than in men. According to the most recent statistics from the Central Brain Tumor Registry of the United States (CBTRUS), meningiomas are the most common type of primary brain tumor. Unlike a metastatic brain tumor that spreads to the brain from another site in the body, a primary brain tumor originates in the central nervous system. It is estimated that about 27.4% of primary brain tumors are meningiomas.

Treatment and Follow-up
...The most common treatment for a meningioma is surgery (removal of all or part of the tumor). Different types of radiation are also being used for treatment of selected meningiomas. Each type of treatment has some risks and benefits, and not every treatment is possible for every meningioma.....After treatment follow-up care is very important. Unfortunately meningiomas sometimes reoccur after surgery or radiation. Recurrent tumors may develop in other parts of the brain or spinal cord, which means that they can cause symptoms that are different from the original meningioma. Follow up MRI or CT scans every one to three years are an important part of long term health care for anyone who has been diagnosed with a meningioma.