Is Falcine Meningioma a Diffuse Disease of the Falx? Case Series and Analysis of a “Grade Zero” Resection

Neurosurgery, Volume 87, Issue 5, November 2020, Pages 900–909

Falcine meningiomas have unique characteristics including their high rates of recurrence, associationwith high grade pathology, increased male prevalence, and potential for diffuse involvement of the falx. OBJECTIVE: To address these issues in a substantial series of falcine meningiomas and report on the impact of extent of resection for this distinct meningioma entity.

METHODS: Retrospective analysis of characteristics and outcomes of 59 falcine meningioma patients who underwent surgery with the senior author. A “Grade Zero” category was used when an additional resection margin of 2 to 3 cm from the tumor insertion was achieved.

RESULTS: For de novo falcine meningiomas, gross total resection (GTR) was associated with significantly decreased recurrence incidence compared with subtotal resection (P ≤ .0001). For recurrent falcine meningiomas, median progression-free survival (PFS) was significantly improved for GTR cases (37 mo vs 12 mo; P = .017, hazard ratio (HR) .243 (.077-.774)). “Grade Zero” resection demonstrated excellent durability for both de novo and recurrent cases, and PFS was significantly improved with “Grade Zero” resection for recurrent cases (P = .003, HR 1.544 (1.156-2.062)). The PFS benefit of “Grade Zero” resection did not achieve statistical significance over Simpson grade 1 during the limited follow-up period (mean 2.8 yr) for these groups.

CONCLUSION: The recurrence of falcine meningiomas is related to the diffuse presence of tumor between the leaflets of the falx. Increased extent of resection including, when possible, a clear margin of falx surrounding the tumor base was associated with the best long-term outcomes in our series, particularly for recurrent tumors.