From the Guidelines
Meningioma symptoms typically include effects of increased intracranial pressure, such as headaches, nausea, vomiting, and blurred vision, as well as seizure, hemiparesis, and cranial nerve deficits, which depend largely on tumor location and patient age at the time of diagnosis. According to the most recent guidelines, the presentation and symptoms of meningioma vary depending on the location and size of the tumor, as well as the patient's age 1. Some common symptoms include:
- Headaches that worsen over time
- Nausea and vomiting
- Blurred vision
- Seizure
- Hemiparesis
- Monoparesis
- Cranial nerve deficits
- Ataxia
- Hemisensory loss
- Dysphasia
- Aphasia
- Memory impairment It's worth noting that symptoms may occur gradually and worsen over time, or occur suddenly, such as with a seizure 1. In infants, presenting symptoms may include increasing head circumference and loss of developmental milestones, while school-age children may experience poor school performance, fatigue, and personality changes 1. Overall, it's essential to seek medical evaluation promptly if persistent neurological symptoms are experienced, especially those that worsen over time, as early diagnosis allows for more treatment options and potentially better outcomes.
From the Research
Meningioma Symptoms
- Meningiomas are the most common primary brain tumors, accounting for about 30% of all brain tumors, and the vast majority are slow-growing and of benign histopathology 2
- Symptomatic lesions depend on the location, with signs of mass effect or neurological deficits 2
- Seizures are the presenting symptoms in approximately 30% of cases, which negatively affect quality of life, limit independence, impair cognitive functioning, and increase the risk for psychiatric comorbidities including depression 2
- Tumor-related symptoms often improve after treatment, with a subjective improvement in existing symptoms noted in 60% of patients 3
- Meningiomas can reach substantial sizes before becoming symptomatic, and complete surgical resection remains the treatment of choice 4
Seizures in Meningioma
- Seizures are common in supratentorial meningioma, particularly in tumors associated with brain edema, and seizure freedom is a critical treatment goal 5
- Preoperative seizures are observed in 29.2% of patients with supratentorial meningioma, and are significantly predicted by male sex, absence of headache, peritumoral edema, and non-skull base location 5
- After surgery, seizure freedom is achieved in 69.3% of patients with preoperative epilepsy, and is more than twice as likely in those without peritumoral edema 5
- New postoperative seizures are seen in 12.3% of patients without preoperative epilepsy who undergo resection, and no difference in the rate of new postoperative seizures is observed with or without perioperative prophylactic anticonvulsants 5
- More than one-third of patients with meningiomas will experience seizures at some point in their disease, and identifying predictors of preoperative seizures and postoperative seizure freedom is critical 6