Health-related quality of life in meningioma

Background: Meningiomas are the most common primary intracranial tumor in adults. Although frequently histologically benign, the clinical severity of a lesion may range from being asymptomatic to causing severe impairment of global function and well-being. The diversity of intracranial locations and clinical phenotypes poses a challenge when studying functional impairments, however, more recent attention to patient-reported outcomes and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) have helped to improve our understanding of how meningioma may impact a patient's life.

Methods: Treatment strategies such as observation, surgery, radiation, or a combination thereof have been examined to ascertain their contributions to symptoms, physical and cognitive functioning, disability, and general aspects of daily functioning.

Results: This review explores the multidimensional nature of HRQOL and how patients may be influenced by meningiomas and their treatment.

Conclusion: Overall, treatment of symptomatic meningiomas is associated with improved HRQOL, cognitive functioning, and seizure control while tumor size, location, histologic grade, and epileptic burden are associated with worse HRQOL.