Anaplastic meningioma: The dark side of meningiomas

Abstract

Anaplastic meningioma is a rare malignant tumor of the meninges, with a very aggressive behavior and a grim prognosis. Here we report a case of a 64-year old man which presented to the neurosurgery department with motor deficit in the right hemi–body, loss of speech and disorientation. Magnetic resonance imaging detected a mass located in the left frontal lobe that measured 7/8/7 cm, leading to the conclusion that surgery is necessary. Microscopic examination of the tumor showed great number of hypercellular areas with a high mitotic index, and focal necrosis with psammoma bodies. Using a panel of antibodies such as EMA, vimentin, CD34 GFAP, pancytokeratin and Ki67, we concluded that he final diagnosis was anaplastic meningioma, WHO grade III. Due to its morphological similarity with other tumors, the diagnosis of anaplastic meningioma may be challenging.

Keywords

• anaplastic meningioma
• differential diagnosis
• immunohistochemistry