Meningiomas

• Common and benign tumor of adults that come from cells of the arachnoid mater

• Not intraparenchymal, but grow along meninges

  • Growth commonly along a convexity like the falx or tentorium

  • Called extra-axial lesions since growth not in parenchyma

• Slight female predominance (especially in spinal cord tumors) because they may have estrogen and progesterone receptors on them (grow very quickly in pregnancy)

• Histology

  • Well-circumscribed and compress the brain tissue without invading into it

  • Might show a whirling pattern of cells

• Some variants may be more aggressive

  • Papillary meningioma tends to metastasize

  • May invade into surrounding brain, which is ominous (called malignant meningiomas)

• The benign ones tend to have psammoma bodies

Category: Pathology Notes