STMN1 as a candidate gene associated with atypical meningioma progression

Objectives: Meningiomas are the most common type of primary intracranial tumor. Atypical meningiomas are especially difficult to manage due to frequent disease recurrence. This study aimed to examine the role of stathmin (coded by the gene STMN1) as a factor in atypical meningioma recurrence. Patients and methods: A total of 59 sporadic atypical meningioma formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) samples were collected. The mRNA levels of the biomarker gene STMN1 were tested using quantitative RT-PCR. Results: We observed significant up-regulation of STMN1 mRNA expression in recurrent tumors in comparison with primary tumors (p < 0.05). Moreover, mRNA expression levels of STMNI significantly correlated with Ki-67 score (r = 0.93, p < 0.01). Multivariate survival analyses indicated that high expression of STMN1, high Ki-67 score, and more advanced patient age at diagnosis (> 60 yrs) each act as independence prognostic factors for recurrence. Kaplan-Meier analysis revealed that STMN1 expression pattern could effectively predict prognosis of atypical meningioma in patients (p < 0.01). Conclusions: Our study indicates for the first time that an increased risk of sporadic atypical meningioma recurrence can be found in cases with elevated expression of STMN1. These results suggest that STMN1 expression might serve as a biomarker for determining patient atypical meningioma prognosis.