Primary management of atypical meningioma: treatment patterns and survival outcomes by patient age

Purpose The initial management of atypical meningiomas poses a distinct clinical challenge in that treatment protocols have not been fully established, and outcomes, especially differences by patient age, have not been broadly measured. The National Cancer Database (NCDB) allows for analysis of a large, diverse patient population to determine clinical parameters and survival outcomes based on the initial treatment of patients with atypical meningiomas. Methods Analysis of the NCDB yielded 3611 atypical meningioma patients treated between 2008 and 2012. Principal treatment paradigms included surgery with or without radiation. Survival estimates were calculated using Kaplan-Meier curves stratified by age at diagnosis for each treatment paradigm. Subset analysis was performed for socio-economic factors. Results Overall 5-year survival rate was 77.6% and declined with increasing patient age (p < 0.0001). Five-year survival for patients <= 45 years undergoing surgery alone was 89.3 vs. 44.4% for those > 75 years (p < 0.0001). For patients undergoing surgery with adjuvant radiation, 5-year survival was 93.7% in those <= 45 years and 54.1% in those > 75 years (p < 0.0001). Use of adjuvant radiation was stable over time. Private-insured patients were more likely to receive adjuvant radiation (p = 0.0001). Conclusions Patients treated for atypical meningioma have high rates of 5-year survival. A marginal survival benefit of adjuvant radiation was observed for patients < 55 and > 75 years, while patients between 55 and 75 years tended to have slightly improved survival with surgery alone. Though surgery remains the standard of care in the primary treatment of atypical meningioma, the decision to administer radiation post-operatively has remained controversial.