Nov. 26, 2024
Mayo Clinic is committed to finding new approaches for the treatment of meningioma. Recent research has identified genes involved in meningioma tumor formation. But those discoveries haven't yet yielded new therapies.
"Unfortunately, the excellent scientific advancements of the past decade characterizing meningiomas haven't significantly pushed the needle for clinical care," says Victoria E. Clark, M.D., Ph.D., a neurosurgeon at Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida.
Meningioma is the most common primary brain tumor. It occurs up to four times more frequently than glioma and disproportionately affects women. Standard treatment — tumor resection and sometimes radiation — hasn't greatly changed since the 1950s.
Dr. Clark's doctoral work identified several genes that describe meningioma tumor formation. Now at Mayo Clinic, she will focus her laboratory research on molecular drivers of the disease. "We need to understand the pathways that are being activated and whether those pathways could be targeted for treatment," she says.
Oral medications might be possible eventually, as meningiomas lie outside the blood-brain barrier. "The issues of drug delivery that affect glioblastoma treatment, for example, don't necessarily apply to meningioma," Dr. Clark says.
Mayo Clinic's brain tumor research is facilitated by the Neurosurgery BRIDGE biobank, part of the Brain Tumor Stem Cell Research Laboratory at Mayo Clinic's campus in Florida. "We are very fortunate to have all these patient tissue and blood samples," Dr. Clark says. "The most relevant way to push our research efforts forward is to learn from the patients we've already operated on."
The goal is to sequence tissue samples, identify molecular pathways and eventually create preclinical meningioma models for testing potential new therapies. "Ultimately, we hope to create new clinical trials for patients with meningioma," Dr. Clark says.
Patients with recurrent meningiomas are of particular interest. "Meningioma tumors often come back, sometimes more aggressively," Dr. Clark says. "A tumor might have been benign and then something happens and it becomes more aggressive. If we could reverse that step, we might be able to control this disease."
This meningioma research exemplifies the synergy between Mayo Clinic's laboratory and clinical work. "Our infrastructure allows everything we do to be very well clinically annotated," Dr. Clark says. "Mayo Clinic places great institutional vision and importance on research, in addition to clinical care and education."
Collaboration among clinician-scientists facilitates the translation of research into patient care. Awake brain surgery is one notable example. Mayo Clinic neurosurgeons have researched and pioneered the use of this procedure, in which intraoperative brain mapping and testing help maximize tumor resection while avoiding damage to eloquent tissue.
"A sophisticated, multidisciplinary surgical team is essential for awake brain surgery," Dr. Clark says. At Mayo Clinic, that team includes neuropsychologists, neuro-oncologists, speech and language specialists, anesthesiologists and specialized nurses. The meningioma treatment team also often includes radiologists, pathologists and radiation oncologists.
"Incorporating technology such as motor and speech mapping into surgical treatment of brain tumors requires a lot of expertise," Dr. Clark says. "At Mayo Clinic, the expertise we gain from research and clinical experience is always aimed at optimizing patient care."
For more information
Brain Tumor Stem Cell Research Laboratory. Mayo Clinic.
Refer a patient to Mayo Clinic.