Description
Meningiomas are the most frequently diagnosed primary brain tumor representing 35% of all reported primary brain tumors according to the 2004-2008 Central Brain Tumor Registry of the United States report. The purpose of this retrospective study was to evaluate post-diagnosis survival and surgical first course treatment of patients diagnosed with nonmalignant, intracranial meningioma. The sample for this study (n=14, 927) was created from the California Cancer Registry which is a population-based data source for cancer patients throughout California. Records of patients diagnosed with nonmalignant, intracranial meningiomas between 2001-2009 were identified using ICD-O histology codes, tumor cite codes, and tumor behavior categories. Survival estimates were calculated using Kaplan-Meier method and categories were compared using log-rank tests. Multivariable survival analysis was assessed using an accelerated failure model. Multinomial logistic regression was used to analyze demographic and clinical characteristics and their association to surgical first course treatment. Patients in this sample were more likely to be female (74.2%), non-Hispanic white (62.9%), married (55%) and 60-79 years old(40%). Gender, age, socioeconomic status, surgical first course treatment, treatment facility, and tumor size were all significantly associated with post-diagnosis survival after multivariable regression analysis. Women were 1.51 (95% CI 1.17, 1.96) times more likely to survive compared to men (p<0.0001) after adjusting for other significant covariates. Many of the same variables found to be significant in survival analysis were significant predictors of surgical first course treatment receive even after multivariable analysis. The findings in this study suggest that certain patient characteristics, both demographic and clinical, are influential in post-diagnosis survival and surgical first course treatment. Due to the current lack of sufficient data and analysis on these tumors, further research is needed to better understand how patient characteristics relate to survival and what steps should be taken to provide the highest quality of care for patients diagnosed with nonmalignant, intracranial meningiomas.
