AUTHOR=Kim Junhyung , Hwang Kihwan , Kwon Hyun Jung , Lee Ji Eun , Lee Kyu Sang , Choe Gheeyoung , Han Jung Ho , Kim Chae-Yong 

TITLE=Clinicopathologic Characteristics of Grade 2/3 Meningiomas: A Perspective on the Role of Next-Generation Sequencing

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Oncology

VOLUME=12

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/oncology/articles/10.3389/fonc.2022.885155

DOI=10.3389/fonc.2022.885155

ISSN=2234-943X

ABSTRACT=<sec><title>Background</title><p>Grade 2/3 meningiomas have locally aggressive behaviors often requiring additional treatment plans after surgical resection. Herein, we explored the clinical significance of next-generation sequencing (NGS) in characterizing the molecular profiles of high-grade meningiomas.</p></sec><sec><title>Methods</title><p>Patients with intracranial meningioma who underwent surgical resection in a single institution were retrospectively reviewed. Clinicopathologic relevance was evaluated using recurrence-free survival (RFS) as an outcome measure. NGS for the targeted gene regions was performed in 40 participants.</p></sec><sec><title>Results</title><p>Among the 713 individuals in the study population, 143 cases (20.1%) were identified as having grade 2 or 3 meningiomas with a significantly lower female predominance. While the difference in RFS between grade 2 and 3 meningiomas was insignificant, a few conventional grade 2 cases, but with <italic>TERT</italic> promoter hotspot mutation, were highly progressive and refractory to the treatment. From the NGS study, recurrent mutations in <italic>TRAF</italic> and <italic>AKT1</italic> were identified with a higher prevalence (17.5% and 12.5%, respectively) compared with grade 2/3 meningiomas reported in previous literature. However, their relations to other histopathologic properties or clinical factors were rarely observed.</p></sec><sec><title>Conclusions</title><p>Grade 2/3 meningiomas show a broad spectrum of molecular profiles, as they have heterogeneous histologic characteristics.</p></sec>