Treatment and survival of patients with nonmalignant intracranial meningioma: results from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program of the National Cancer Institute

Abstract

Object The authors conducted a study to determine population-based estimates of survival following the diagnosis and treatment of nonmalignant intracranial meningioma in the US in the modern era. Methods Patients with nonmalignant intracranial meningioma were identified through the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database for the years 2004–2007. Predictors of undergoing resection were identified and odds ratios calculated. Estimates of survival were calculated using Kaplan-Meier estimation method and Cox proportional hazards model. Results There were 12,284 patients with a diagnosis of nonmalignant intracranial meningioma included in the analysis. Only 55% had histological confirmation of the diagnosis of nonmalignant meningioma. Resection was used as an initial treatment in 43% of cases. Patients treated with surgery were more likely to be younger (OR 9.3, 95% CI 8.1–10.7, for resection in patients age 40–59 years compared with age > 80 years), male (OR 1.4, 95% CI 1.3–1.5, for males compared with females), white (OR 0.8, 95% CI 0.7–0.9, for black patients compared with white patients), and have larger tumors (OR 11.8, 95% CI 10.3–13.6, for tumors of the largest quartile compared with the smallest quartile). Patients treated with resection had a 3-year postdiagnosis survival estimate of 93.4% (95% CI 92.5%–94.3%) compared with 88.3% (95% CI 85.5%–90.6%) in patients not treated with resection (p < 0.01). Younger patient age, female sex, unilateral tumors, and resection were predictors of improved postdiagnosis survival after multivariate adjustment in patients with histologically confirmed meningiomas. Conclusions This analysis represents the first modern population-based analysis of treatment patterns and outcomes in US patients with nonmalignant intracranial meningioma. Over 85% of patients survive 3 years after diagnosis, and resection is associated with improved survival.