Definition

My tumor is a parafalcine meningioma. 

While they’re not generally malignant (because they are not invading other tissues, they’re just pushing things around), that doesn’t mean they’re not dangerous and don’t bear watching.  They are close to important blood vessels and can push enough to essentially cause a stroke.

The falx cerebri is a prominent midline dural membrane separating the left and right hemispheres of the brain. A parafalcine meningioma arises from arachnoid cap cells near to the falx… One of the more important considerations for meningiomas in a para/falcine location is their relationship to the critical midline venous structures such as the superior sagittal sinus and torcula herophili. These large dural venous sinuses carry a tremendous amount of blood along the brain’s upper-outer-midline surface and eventually into the internal jugular veins. Tumors arising near such structures can compress (”obstruct“) or block (”occlude“) blood flow through these veins leading to raised intracranial pressure (from venous hypertension) and sometimes even to venous strokes (venous infarction).   Source:  brain-surgery.us

The following statistics come from Trinity Mother Frances Neurological Institute:

There are more than 150 types of brain tumors, but they are generally classified as PRIMARY and METASTATIC.  My particular meningioma is not considered metastatic because it didn’t come from a cancer someplace else and spread to the brain. 

The numbers below give you some idea as to how rare these are:

It is estimated that in 2005, there were a total of 18,500 new cases of brain and other nervous system tumors diagnosed - 10,620 males and 7,880 females. The estimated number of deaths was 12,760, of which 7,280 were males and 5,480 were females.

From 1998-2002, the median age at diagnosis for cancer of the brain and central nervous system was age 55.

Meningiomas are the most common benign intracranial tumors comprising 10 to 15 percent of all brain neoplasms, although a very small percentage are malignant. These tumors originate from the meninges, the membrane-like structures that surround the brain and spinal cord.

The following general definition comes from BrainTumor.org

Meningioma

These tumors grow from the meninges, the layers of tissue covering the brain and spinal cord. As they grow, meningiomas compress adjacent brain tissue. Symptoms are often related to this compression of brain tissue, which can also affect cranial nerves and blood vessels. In some cases, meningioma growth can also extend into the bones of the head and face, which may produce visible changes. Most meningiomas are considered nonmalignant or low grade tumors. However, unlike nonmalignant tumors elsewhere in the body, some of these brain tumors can cause disability and may sometimes be life threatening. In many cases, meningiomas grow slowly. Other meningiomas grow more rapidly or have sudden growth spurts. There is no way to predict the rate of growth of a meningioma or to know for certain how long a specific tumor was growing before diagnosis. Meningiomas are graded from low to high. The lower the grade, the lower the risk of recurrence and aggressive growth.

The WHO classification divides meningiomas into three grades:
• Grade I           Benign Meningioma
• Grade II         Atypical Meningioma
• Grade III        Malignant (Anaplastic) Meningioma

Characteristics
• May arise after previous treatment from ionizing radiation or excessive x-ray exposure
• Common among women and men in their 40s-50s, but can occur at any age
• Twice as common in women as in men
• Accounts for over 30 percent of all primary brain tumors
• In very rare cases, can invade the skull or metastasize to the skin or lungs
• Women with meningiomas can experience tumor growth during pregnancy
• In rare cases, multiple meningiomas can develop at the same time in different parts of the brain and/or spinal cord

Symptoms

• Seizures
• Headaches
• Nausea and vomiting
• Vision changes
• Behavioral and cognitive changes
• Sometimes no symptoms occur and tumor is detected incidentally

Treatment
If there are no symptoms, the doctor may monitor the tumor with MRIs. Otherwise, surgery is the standard treatment. If the tumor cannot be completely resected or if it recurs, radiation therapy may be given as well. Chemotherapy for unresectable, aggressive, atypical, or recurrent meningiomas is being tested through clinical trials. Follow-up scans are needed indefinitely, because meningiomas can recur years or even decades after treatment.

(This information was written, in part, by Nancy Conn-Levin, M.A.)