THURSDAY, April 27 (HealthDay News) -- Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) status is a predictor of survival among patients with atypical meningioma, according to preliminary research presented this week at the annual conference of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons in San Francisco.
Justin S. Smith, M.D., of the University of California San Francisco, and colleagues assessed the presence of three different growth factor receptors in 90 meningioma tumors: 29 of them benign, 30 atypical and 31 malignant. They followed up patients for a mean of nine years.
The researchers identified EGFR in approximately one-half of all meningiomas. In patients with atypical meningioma, EGFR-positive status was associated with prolonged survival compared with EGFR-negative status. However, there was no association between EGFR status and survival in patients with benign or malignant meningiomas.
"Given the lack of this association in patients with benign or malignant meningiomas and the variable behavior of atypical meningiomas, EGFR assessment could improve existing strategies for patient stratification and management," the authors conclude.
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