Fewer meningioma surgeries over 19 years, even as more tumors are found
Original title: Declining age-adjusted surgical incidence of intracranial meningiomas: a 19-year retrospective analysis from an academic hospital.
How far along is this research?
- Lab cells
- Animals
- Review
- Tested in people
This was tested in people. That is the most reliable kind of research we share.
This was a look back at records of real patients, not a test of a new treatment.
The short version
Doctors at one hospital operated on this common brain tumor less often over time, and waited more before choosing surgery.
What was studied. Researchers looked back at 2,278 adults who had a first surgery to remove a meningioma. All were treated at one hospital in Helsinki between 2005 and 2023.
What they found. The number of surgeries each year stayed steady, between 83 and 160 cases. But once the age of patients was taken into account, the rate of surgery went down over the 19 years. Surgery done to prevent future problems became less common. Surgery because a tumor was growing or was large became more common.
What this means, and what it doesn't
What it could mean: Doctors may be getting more selective about who needs surgery for a meningioma. Watching the tumor with scans over time may be offered instead of operating right away. Surgery is more likely if the tumor grows, gets large, or causes problems. In this group, the most common symptoms before surgery were seizures, in 19% of people, and vision problems, in 14%.
What it doesn't mean: This does not mean surgery is unsafe or should be avoided. It is not a cure, and it is not a new treatment at all. This was a look back at old records from one hospital in Finland. It shows how doctors' choices changed over the years. It does not prove that one approach works better than another. It also does not tell you what is right for your own tumor. That is a decision for you and your care team.
Source: PubMed, July 21, 2026 · Read the original
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