Long-term survival of 1986 patients with intracranial meningioma diagnosed from 1953 to 1984 in Finland. Comparison of the observed and expected survival rates in a population-based series.

Intracranial meningioma was diagnosed and histologically verified in 1986 patients, 597 men and 1389 women, between 1953 and 1984 in Finland. The closing date of this survival study was December 31, 1987, and the follow-up was complete. Meningiomas, usually slowly growing and surgically curable benign tumors, caused considerable short-term mortality, with a relative survival rate (RSR) of 83% at 1 year, and slight but continual long-term mortality, with RSR of 71% at 15 years. From 1979 to 1984, when computed tomography (CT) was available, the mortality at 3 months for the patients who had surgical procedures was 2% in those younger than 45 years and 10% in those older than 64 years; patients who did not have operations had 1-year mortality of 61%. The short-term and long-term excess mortalities are associated significantly with old age, no surgical procedure, and the period of diagnosis; the long-term excess mortality also is associated with male gender.