Initial management of newly diagnosed WHO grade 2-3 adult meningioma following surgery: results from the Dutch Brain Tumour Registry (2016-2021).

Abstract

Purpose: Meningiomas classified as grade 2-3 according to the World Health Organisation (WHO) require combined surgery and in most cases radiotherapy (RT). Their initial management was evaluated using the Dutch Brain Tumour Registry.

Methods: The study included 393 patients aged ≥ 18 years with newly diagnosed meningioma WHO grade 2-3 between 2016 and 2021. Factors associated with adjuvant RT < 6 months following surgery were identified using logistic regression analyses, thereby accounting for variation between CNS regional tumour boards through mixed-effect modelling. This variation was further assessed by funnel plots for case-mix adjusted ratios of RT across tumour boards. The association with patients' survival at 5 years was evaluated with inverse probability-weighted accelerated failure (Weibull) models. Analyses were performed on multiple imputed datasets (m = 10) to account for missing data.

Results: Adjuvant RT was administered to 22.2% (59/266) of patients with WHO grade 2 meningioma following a total resection, to 61.1% (58/95) following a partial resection, and to 68.8% (22/32) of patients with WHO grade 3 meningioma (61.5% after partial and 73.7% after total resection). RT was associated with grade 3, partial resection, bone invasion, and absence of multiple lesions. Management varied across tumour boards for grade 2 meningioma following total resection. Adjuvant RT was associated with survival benefit in case of grade 3 disease (hazard ratio: 0.40, 95%-confidence interval: 0.16-0.95, p = 0.04).

Conclusion: This national review revealed variation across CNS regional tumour boards in the management of grade 2 meningioma following total resection, and demonstrated survival benefit of adjuvant RT in grade 3 meningioma.