More About Meningiomas

Here is a bit more about Meningiomas and brain tumors:

Between 1987 thru 2003 Dr Peter Black preformed over 1600 Brain tumor surgeries at Brigham & Women's Hospital.

Meningiomas are one of the more common primary brain tumors but are very underfunded. Because of this very little is known in regard to causes or cure. Very little research has been done on finding a drug therapy that could help since (and because) the first course of action is usually surgery. Nationwide, about 266,000 people are living with benign brain tumors, of which meningiomas are by far the most common. And the five-year survival rate after surgery for meningioma, do to recurrance or location, is lower than that for breast cancer and yet breast cancer is very well funded. Each year more of the population is diagnosed with a brain tumor, 27% will be meningiomas and yet there is a stigma to the term brain tumor or brain cancer. Sen. Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania underwent brain surgery in 1993 for a meningioma, and later had radiation treatment for a recurrence. Elizabeth Taylor underwent surgery for a meningioma also. "Why do public figures who have a meningioma/brain tumor stay so quiet?''

The following is from:
Brain Tumor Guide for the Newly Diagnosed
Version 2.5
Updated 4/19/2005
Copyright 2005 Musella Foundation
Virtualtrials.com

Every day, an estimated fifty adults will be diagnosed with a primary brain tumor (starting in the brain), and many more will be diagnosed with a cancer that has spread to the brain from someplace else in the body, such as the lung or breast. Additionally, thousands of parents annually will hear these devastating two words – brain tumor – in
regards to their child. There is no known cause of tumors starting in the brain and for many no known "cure." However, there are certainly ways of extending your life and improving the quality of that life.

Brain tumors are described by where they are located in the brain and what kind of cell they started from. Primary tumors begin in the brain, while Secondary tumors are caused by tumor (cancer) cells that spread to the brain from another "primary" source in the body, such as breast or lung cancer. Primary brain tumors are classified (diagnosed), in part, by the type of cell it originates from. For example; Astrocytomas come from astrocytes, oligodendrogliomas from oligodendrocytes, meningiomas from meningeal cells and medulloblastomas from medulloblasts, just to name a few.

When dealing with brain tumors, the word "benign" is a little misleading. It implies that the tumor is not dangerous. Unfortunately, the brain is enclosed in a rigid container (the skull) that allows no space for a tumor mass to grow. As a tumor (even a "benign" tumor) grows, it builds up the intracranial pressure and compresses everything around it – which
can lead to neurological problems and even death. Luckily, there has been a lot of progress in the treatment of the "benign" brain tumors. One type, the acoustic neuroma, used to be incurable and usually fatal. Now, it can be cured in over 95% of the patients, sometimes with a relatively simple radiation procedure.

Are brain tumors the same as brain cancer?
This is controversial. There are arguments for both sides: some argue that a brain tumor rarely spreads outside of the brain, so it isn’t "cancer". Others argue that it has the potential to grow and be deadly, so it is. I feel that brain tumors should be considered "Brain Cancer".

Neurosurgery
Surgery is performed to improve neurological function, confirm your diagnosis by means of a biopsy ("open biopsy" or "Stereotactic biopsy"), or to completely ("total resection") or partially ("sub-total resection" or "debulking") remove the tumor. With a resection, you also get a biopsy of the sample removed. You should ask your surgeon for a copy of the pathology report. You can easily (but it may be expensive – check first) get a second opinion on the reading of the pathology slides. There is a lot of interpretation put into the reading of the slides, and this is the single most important test you will ever have in your life, so it may be worth the money to double check it. For some benign tumors, surgery may be curative. For the malignant tumors, surgery may relieve symptoms of too much pressure in the brain and allow time for other treatments to work. Malignant tumors can grow so fast that without surgery, other treatments might not have the time to work. Surgery is also an opportunity to try a treatment that requires direct access to the brain. Surgery is performed by a neurosurgeon; however, a general neurosurgeon may not have adequate experience in the removal of brain tumors, and may be less informed regarding current treatment therapies. Most neurosurgeons do not see many brain tumors. You need to find one that specializes in brain tumors. Check out their website and make sure that "brain tumors" is listed as one of their main areas of expertise. An "expert" is defined as one who performs a minimum of twenty-five per year; typically these neurosurgeons are associated at some level with major brain tumor centers. Studies indicate that major brain tumor centers and/or surgical teams that perform fifty or more surgeries a year exhibit better survival rates and fewer complications. "Brain surgery" sounds like a very scary thing. It is. But as previously mentioned, it is now much safer and easier than ever. Advances in 3-d computer guided imaging, intraoperative imaging with ultrasound or MRI, and small endoscopes allow surgeons to remove many tumors that used to be considered inoperable. There are still some tumors that because of the size or location are too dangerous to remove, but the limits are shrinking every year. If you are told that your tumor is inoperable, get another opinion.