Pulmonary and pleural metastasis of intracranial anaplastic meningioma in a 3-year-old boy: A case report

Abstract

In adults, meningiomas occasionally display aggressive behavior and may occasionally metastasize. By contrast, pediatric meningiomas are rare, and there is limited information regarding their clinical characteristics, treatment and prognosis. We herein report the case of a 3-year-old boy with anaplastic meningioma with a history of local recurrence and late pulmonary metastasis. At diagnosis, a 70-mm mass lesion in was identified in the right frontal lobe, with intratumoral hemorrhage. The tumor was attached to the falx cerebri and was completely resected. The histological diagnosis was anaplastic meningioma, World Health Organization grade III. Two months after the surgery, the meningioma recurred at the same site. Although the patient received radiotherapy after a second operation, the tumor metastasized to the lung and pleura 8 months after the initial operation. The metastasis was resistant to treatment, even after gross total resection, and the effectiveness of further radiotherapy was limited. The patient succumbed to the disease 1 year and 4 months after the initial diagnosis. The findings of the present case and a review of the relevant literature suggest that recurrence and metastasis of meningiomas are difficult to predict. Therefore, such patients should be carefully monitored throughout the follow-up period.