Immunohistochemical detection of female sex hormone receptors in meningiomas: correlation with clinical and histological features.

Sixty-one meningiomas from 60 patients were screened for estrogen receptors and progesterone receptors (PgR) with monoclonal antibodies in an immunohistochemical assay. In addition, 43 of the cases were evaluated for tumor size and peritumoral edema, as seen on computed tomographic scans and magnetic resonance images. Sixty-one percent of the tumors contained significant amounts of PgR, whereas no estrogen receptor-positive tumor was observed. Thirteen percent of all tumors were classified as nonbenign variants (atypical and anaplastic meningiomas) and were more frequently found in male patients (P < 0.05). Nonbenign tumors more frequently showed an absence of PgR (P < 0.05), and there was a tendency for PgR-negative tumors to be larger than PgR-positive ones. No correlation was found between PgR status and edema. It is concluded that PgR status in meningiomas is related to tumor differentiation and may be of prognostic value with regard to biological behavior and clinical outcome.