BACKGROUND Human serum paraoxonase 1 (PON1) plays a major role in the metabolism of several organophosphorus compounds. The enzyme is encoded by the polymorphic gene PON1, located on chromosome 7q21.3. Aiming to identify genetic variations related to the risk of developing brain tumors, we investigated the putative association between common nonsynonymous PON1 polymorphisms and the risk of deve...

DESCRIPTION A 65-year-old woman comes for headache management. Few years ago, she was diagnosed with a ‘single benign tumour of the anterior part of the brain’. A new contrast CT brain scan was done (figures 1 and 2); as she was claustrophobic, brain MRI was not ordered. The mass they have referred to was most likely a falcine meningioma. In addition, there is an oval hyperdense mass at the rig...

INTRODUCTION Meningioma is a benign and slowly-growing tumor that is responsible for 20% of brain neoplasms. It can be accompanied by some genetic disorders such as neurofibromatosis type 2 and is more common among women. As a space occupying lesion, it produces a wide range of signs and symptoms by compressing the adjacent and underlying tissues in the brain. Trauma and viruses are possible et...

In this issue of the journal, Michaud and colleagues report a 48% increased risk of meningioma in obese individuals compared with individuals with a normal body mass index (BMI). This large prospective cohort study adds weight to the suggested link between BMI and meningioma, thus contributing to the growing number of cancer sites likely associated with body fatness. Although the exact mechanis...

Intracranial meningioma with intratumor metastasis have been occasionally reported. However, to our knowledge, there are almost no reports of malignant tumors initially discovered due to metastasis to meningioma. A 74-year-old woman presented with amnesia. Magnetic resonance imaging showed a well-defined mass arising from falcotentorial junction and homogeneous enhancement. Histopathologic find...

Tumor-to-tumor metastasis of breast carcinoma to meningioma is a rare phenomenon. It is likely underdiagnosed given the relatively high prevalence and comorbidity of these two primary tumor types, the lack of standardized methodologies for its diagnosis, and the tendency to obfuscate this lesion with simple meningioma or cerebral metastasis of breast carcinoma. Careful histopathologic study of ...

Meningioma is a common primary tumor of central nervous system. However, extracranial extension of the intracranial meningioma is unusual, and mostly accompanied the osteolytic change of the skull. We herein describe an atypical meningioma having extracranial extension with hyperostotic change of the skull. The patient was a 72-year-old woman who presented a large mass in the right frontal scal...

Cystic meningioma is an uncommon meningioma variant that is often difficult to distinguish from other intra-axial tumors, including necrotic gliomas. Cystic meningiomas located in the ventricle are particularly rare and may be misdiagnosed with other brain tumors, including ependymoma, choroid plexus papilloma and neurocytoma, due to its location. The present study discusses two cases of latera...

OBJECTIVE To screen for NF2 mutations in people with meningiomas. METHODS Lymphocyte or tumour DNA was analysed from 46 individuals from 36 families who presented with a meningioma at age < or =15 years without vestibular schwannoma (VS), or who had multiple meningiomas in adulthood before the diagnosis of VS. RESULTS Eight of 13 people with meningioma and other features of neurofibromatosi...

Although meningioma stem-like cells have been isolated and characterized, their therapeutic targeting remains a challenge. Meningioma sphere cells (MgSCs) with cancer stem cells properties show chemo- and radioresistance in comparison with meningioma adherent cells (MgACs). We tested the effect of valproic acid (VPA), a commonly used anti-epileptic drug, which passes the blood brain barrier, on...