Meningioma overview
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Meningioma Microchapters |
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Diagnosis |
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Treatment |
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Case Studies |
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Meningioma overview On the Web |
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American Roentgen Ray Society Images of Meningioma overview |
Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]
Overview
Meningiomas are relatively common neoplasm of the central nervous system that arises from arachnoidal cells; the majority are well differentiated vascular tumors which grow slowly and have a low potential to be invasive, although malignant subtypes occur; they have a predilection to arise from the parasagittal region, cerebral convexity, sphenoidal ridge, olfactory groove, and spinal canal. Meningiomas are the most common benign tumors of the brain (95% of benign tumors). However they can also be malignant. They arise from the arachnoidal cap cells of the meninges and represent about 15% of all primary brain tumors. They are more common in females than in males (2:1) and have a peak incidence in the sixth and seventh decades. Most cases are sporadic while some are familial. There has been some evidence that persons who have undergone radiation to the scalp are more at risk for developing meningiomas. The most frequent genetic mutations involved in meningiomas are inactivation mutations in the neurofibromatosis 2 gene (merlin) on chromosome 22q.