Apoptotic activity and bcl-2 immunoreactivity in meningiomas. Association with grade and outcome.

We retrospectively evaluated 90 meningiomas for bcl-2 expression, apoptosis counts (per 10 high-power fields [HPF]), MIB-1 labeling indices (LI), and mitosis counts (per 10 HPF). Characteristics were as follows: 37 low-grade (benign) meningiomas: mean apoptosis count, 1.2; MIB-1 LI, 1.0; mitosis count, 0.1; and bcl-2 positivity, 40%; 29 atypical meningiomas: apoptosis count, 3.3; MIB-1 LI, 5.5; mitosis count, 2.2; and bcl-2 positivity, 62%; 24 malignant meningiomas: apoptosis count, 6.5; MIB-1 LI, 12.0; mitosis count, 6.0; and bcl-2 positivity, 67%. By univariate analysis, MIB-1 LI, apoptosis and mitosis counts, and tumor grade were associated significantly with death due to tumor; by multivariate analysis, only mitosis count was independently associated with death due to tumor. We compared similar data for 27 patients with nonrecurrent tumors and 32 patients with recurrent meningiomas. Histologic sections from the initially resected tumor and from the most recent recurrence were reviewed. Only the apoptosis count was significantly higher by univariate analysis in the initial resection specimens from tumors that ultimately recurred vs nonrecurrent tumors. Expression of bcl-2, MIB-1 LI, and mitosis count did not correlate with recurrence. By multivariate analysis, only extent of surgical resection was associated significantly with tumor recurrence. Although bcl-2 immunostaining was not associated statistically with outcome, bcl-2 positivity was more common in atypical and malignant meningiomas than in low-grade tumors.