Diagnostics (Oct 2021)

Discovering the Molecular Landscape of Meningioma: The Struggle to Find New Therapeutic Targets

  • Ilaria Maggio,
  • Enrico Franceschi,
  • Vincenzo Di Nunno,
  • Lidia Gatto,
  • Alicia Tosoni,
  • Daniele Angelini,
  • Stefania Bartolini,
  • Raffaele Lodi,
  • Alba Ariela Brandes

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/diagnostics11101852
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 11, no. 10
p. 1852

Abstract

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Meningiomas are the most common primary CNS tumors. They are usually benign but can present aggressive behavior in about 20% of cases. The genetic landscape of meningioma is characterized by the presence (in about 60% of cases) or absence of NF2 mutation. Low-grade meningiomas can also present other genetic alterations, particularly affecting SMO, TRAF7, KLF4 AKT1 and PI3KCA. In higher grade meningiomas, mutations of TERT promoter and deletion of CDKN2A/B seem to have a prognostic value. Furthermore, other genetic alterations have been identified, such as BAP1, DMD and PBRM1. Different subgroups of DNA methylation appear to be correlated with prognosis. In this review, we explored the genetic landscape of meningiomas and the possible therapeutic implications.

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