One man's meningioma came back many times and spread to his lungs
Original title: A Rare Recurrent Intracranial Meningioma with Variable Histopathological Grades and Pulmonary Metastasis: A Case Report.
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 is a report on one patient who was watched over time, not a test of a new treatment.
The short version
Doctors followed one man for 18 years as his brain tumor kept coming back and also showed up in his lungs.
What was studied. This is a report about one patient, a 44-year-old man. He had a meningioma that kept coming back, and it changed over time. He also had tumors in both lungs.
What they found. Meningiomas are usually not cancer. They spread outside the head in fewer than 1% of patients. Over 18 years, this man had four open brain surgeries and two rounds of focused radiation. Doctors took a sample from his lung and treated the lung spots with heat through the skin. Weakness in his left leg went away. The tumor left in his head and the lung spots stayed stable, and no new spread was found.
What this means, and what it doesn't
What it could mean: It is a reminder that a meningioma can, in rare cases, spread to the lungs. If your meningioma keeps coming back or grows into the large vein at the top of the brain, your doctor may suggest scans of the whole body. They may also want to keep checking you for the rest of your life. That way, spread can be found early.
What it doesn't mean: This is one person's story, not a study. One case cannot show that these treatments work for other people. It does not mean meningioma spreading to the lungs is common, since it is rare. It is not a new treatment, and it is not a cure. Talk with your own care team about what checks make sense for you.
Source: PubMed, August 18, 2026 · Read the original
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