Survival benefit of postoperative radiation in papillary meningioma: Analysis of the National Cancer Data Base

Aim/Background Papillary meningioma represents a rare subset of World Health Organization (WHO) Grade III meningioma that portends an overall poor prognosis. There is relatively limited data regarding the benefit of postoperative radiation therapy (PORT). We used the National Cancer Data Base (NCDB) to compare overall survival (OS) outcomes of surgically resected papillary meningioma cases undergoing PORT compared to post-operative observation. Materials and methods The NCDB was queried for patients with papillary meningioma, diagnosed between 2004 and 2013, who underwent upfront surgery with or without PORT. Overall survival (OS) was determined using the Kaplan–Meier method. Univariate (UVA) and multivariate (MVA) analyses were performed. Results In total, 190 patients were identified; 89 patients underwent PORT, 101 patients were observed. Eleven patients received chemotherapy (6 with PORT, 5 without). 2-Year OS was significantly improved with PORT vs. no PORT (93.0% vs. 74.4%), as was 5-year OS (78.5% vs. 62.5%) (hazard ratio [HR], 0.48; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.27–0.85; p = 0.01). On MVA, patients receiving PORT had improved OS compared to observation (HR, 0.41; 95% CI, 0.22–0.76; p = 0.005). On subset analysis by age group, the benefit of PORT vs. no PORT was significant in patients ≤18 years (n = 13), with 2-year OS of 85.7% vs. 50.0% (HR, 0.08; 95% CI, 0.01–0.80; p = 0.032) and for patients >18 years (n = 184), with 2-year OS of 94.7% vs. 76.1% (HR, 0.55; 95% CI, 0.31–1.00; p = 0.049), respectively. Conclusions In this large contemporary analysis, PORT was associated with improved survival for both adult and pediatric patients with papillary meningioma. PORT should be considered in those who present with this rare, aggressive tumor.