Meningiomas are the most common primary intracranial neoplasms in adults. Current histopathological grading schemes do not consistently predict their natural history. Classic cytogenetic studies have disclosed a progressive course of chromosomal aberrations, especially in high-grade meningiomas. Furthermore, the recent application of unbiased next-generation sequencing approaches has implicated several novel genes whose mutations underlie a substantial percentage of meningiomas. These insights may serve to craft a molecular taxonomy for meningiomas and highlight putative therapeutic targets in a new era of rational biology-informed precision medicine.
Keywords: MAPK = mitogen-activated protein kinase; NF2 = neurofibromatosis Type 2; PI3K = phosphoinositide-3-kinase; genomics; hpf = high-power field; mTOR = mammalian target of rapamycin; meningioma; molecular taxonomy; oncology; precision medicine; targeted therapy; tumor classification; tumor progression.