The role of radiation therapy in the management of intracranial meningiomas.

Thirty-two patients with the diagnosis of intracranial meningioma were treated with radiation therapy over the past 24 years at the Thomas Jefferson University Hospital. Indications for irradiation included incomplete resection, malignant histology, and progressive or recurrent disease after curative surgery. Patients with malignant histology did poorly, with only 2 of 7 alive. This contrasts with 17 of 25 patients with benign histology who are either alive and well or who have enjoyed a long-term disease-free survival. No difference in ultimate outcome could be found between patients with benign histology irradiated in the immediate postoperative period as opposed to those irradiated at time of progression or recurrence.