Clinical and pathological study of meningiomas of the first two decades of life.

The clinical features and pathological materials of 51 cases of histologically verified meningiomas in patients under 21 years of age were reviewed. The age range was 7 to 20 years, with the majority of cases being clustered in the second decade of life. There was virtually a 1:1 sex ratio, with 26 females and 25 males. Thirty-eight patients had intracranial meningiomas, three had intraorbital tumors, and 10 had intraspinal tumors. Twelve patients (24%) had neurofibromatosis. Twenty patients (39%) had tumor recurrence. The cases were subdivided into five histological categories: meningotheliomatous, fibrous, transitional, psammomatous, and papillary. In each case, the clinical course was correlated with histological subtype. The 15-year survival rate in patients with intracranial meningiomas of all types was 68%. Factors adversely affecting survival included infratentorial location, papillary histology, and evidence of brain invasion.