Current experimental therapies for atypical and malignant meningiomas.

INTRODUCTION: Atypical (WHO grade II) and malignant meningiomas (WHO Grade III) are a rare subset of primary intracranial tumors. Given their relatively high recurrence rate after surgical resection and radiotherapy, there has been a recent push to explore other adjuvant treatment options for these treatment-refractory tumors. Recent advances in molecular sequencing of tumors have elucidated new pathways and drug targets which are currently being studied. This article provides a thorough overview of novel investigational therapeutics including targeted therapy, immunotherapy, and new technological modalities for atypical and malignant meningiomas.

METHODS: We performed a comprehensive review of the available literature regarding preclinical and clinical evidence for emerging treatments for high grade meningiomas from 1980 to 2020 including contemporaneous clinical trials.

RESULTS: There is encouraging preclinical evidence regarding the efficacy of the emerging treatments discussed in this article. Several clinical trials are currently recruiting patients to translate targeted molecular therapy for meningiomas. Several clinical studies have suggested a clinical benefit of combinatorial treatment for these treatment-refractory tumors.

CONCLUSION: With numerous active clinical trials for high grade meningiomas, a meaningful improvement in the outcomes for these tumors may be on the horizon.