Treatments For Meningioma
A meningioma is a tumor that forms in the meninges of the brain. These are membranes that surround the brain and spinal cord, to protect them from different agents, both chemical and physical. Treatments for meningioma are different techniques that allow to cure or fight this tumor.
These approaches have been a great advance for medicine, because we are facing one of the most frequent tumors that develops in the head. In addition, in many cases it is associated with severe disabilities and even death.
Treatments for meningioma
Before beginning to explain each of the treatments for meningioma, it is worth mentioning that the choice of techniques varies according to different factors. When addressing any tumor, a number of characteristics should always be considered:
- First of all, it is important to consider the location as much as the size.
- In the same way, the age of the patient and his state of health have a significant influence. For example, treating a healthy child is not the same as treating an elderly person with some other underlying disease.
- The aggressiveness of the tumor and the speed at which it expands are also determining factors. The same happens with the symptoms. That is, those meningiomas that do not produce signs may not require any intervention.
Hence, one of the treatments for meningioma is watchful waiting. This means that, in those that do not produce symptoms or grow slowly, all that is required is continuous monitoring, through frequent examinations.
Surgical treatment
The goal of surgery is to remove as much or all of the tumor as possible. The problem is that, as we have mentioned before, meningioma appears in the brain or in the spinal cord. They are delicate organs that can be inaccessible for the operation.
In addition, being the central nervous system, any error or complication can damage the function of important nerves. On the other hand, like any surgery, it is not without general risks, such as bleeding or infection.
However, according to a study published in the Jornal Brasileiro de Neurosurugia , surgery continues to be the treatment of choice for spinal meningiomas.
The problem is that, after it, other techniques are usually required to ensure complete removal of the tumor. In the case of registering a recidivism or an aggressiveness greater than expected, the most frequent is that radiation is needed.
In other people, when the tumor is benign and most of it has been removed, nothing more than follow-up may be necessary. It is done with MRIs and brain images at regular time periods.
Radiation therapy as one of the treatments for meningioma
As we have just mentioned, radiotherapy is the technique of choice in those cases in which it has not been possible to remove the entire tumor. Their goal is to remove the remains and prevent the meningioma from recurring.
According to a publication in the Journal of Neurology, radiotherapy is an essential therapeutic tool, despite the fact that surgery is the first option. At present, different modes of irradiation are used.
First, we find fractionated stereotactic radiotherapy. It consists of administering small fractions of radiation over more or less long periods of time. For example, for 30 days. Thus it can be used in more sensitive areas that do not support other more intense techniques.
Stereotactic radiosurgery is another of the most used modalities. In this case, a greater amount of radiation is administered in a short time, on a specific point. It is the most used in cases of recurrence.
Finally, we find intensity-modulated radiotherapy and proton-ray radiation. All these treatments for meningioma are complex and must be chosen considering numerous aspects, especially the location of the tumor.
Chemotherapy
Contrary to other types of tumors, chemotherapy is not very relevant in meningioma. In fact, it is rarely used. Its use is usually limited to cases in which there have been recurrences or in those people who have not responded to surgery or radiotherapy.
A study published in the Cuban Journal of Neurology affirms that nimotuzumab is a chemotherapy treatment option for recurrent meningioma. In any case, each country and each medical team has its own particular protocols.
To remember about meningiomas
Meningiomas are tumors that appear in the meninges, either in the brain or in the spinal cord. As it is a central nervous system condition, its treatment is complex.
Most cases are treated with surgery and radiation therapy. Chemotherapy is not yet the most relevant modality of meningioma treatments, although research suggests that it may be important in the future.
