Re-irradiation for recurrent intracranial meningiomas: Analysis of clinical outcomes and prognostic factors

Purpose Re-irradiation (re-RT) for recurrent intracranial meningiomas is hindered by the limited radiation tolerance of surrounding tissue and the risk of side effects. This study aimed at assessing outcomes, toxicities and prognostic factors in a cohort of patients with recurrent meningiomas re-treated with different RT modalities. Materials and methods A multi-institutional database from 8 Italian centers including intracranial recurrent meningioma (RM) patients who underwent re-RT with different modalities (SRS, SRT, PT, EBRT) was collected. Biologically Equivalent Dose in 2 Gy-fractions (EQD2) and Biological Effective Dose (BED) for normal tissue and tumor were estimated for each RT course (α/β = 2 for brain tissue and α/β = 4 for meningioma). Primary outcome was second progression-free survival (s-PFS). Secondary outcomes were overall survival (OS) and treatment-related toxicity. Kaplan–Meier curves and Cox regression models were used for analysis. Results Between 2003 and 2021 181 patients (pts) were included. Median age at re-irradiation was 62 (range 20–89) and median Karnofsky Performance Status (KPS) was 90 (range 60–100). 78 pts were identified with WHO grade 1 disease, 65 pts had grade 2 disease and 10 pts had grade 3 disease. 28 pts who had no histologic sampling were grouped with grade 1 patients for further analysis. Seventy-five (41.4 %) patients received SRS, 63 (34.8 %) patients SRT, 31 (17.1 %) PT and 12 (6.7 %) EBRT. With a median follow-up of 4.6 years (interquartile range 1.7–6.8), 3-year s-PFS was 51.6 % and 3-year OS 72.5 %. At univariate analysis, SRT (HR 0.32, 95 % CI 0.19–0.55, p < 0.001), longer interval between the two courses of irradiation (HR 0.37, 95 % CI 0.21–0.67, p = 0.001), and higher tumor BED (HR 0.45 95 % CI 0.27–0.76, p = 0.003) were associated with longer s-PFS; in contrast, Ki67 > 5 % (HR 2.81, 95 % CI 1.48–5.34, p = 0.002) and WHO grade > 2 (HR 3.08, 95 % CI 1.80–5.28, p < 0.001) were negatively correlated with s-PFS. At multivariate analysis, SRT, time to re-RT and tumor BED maintained their statistically significant prognostic impact on s-PFS (HR 0.36, 95 % CI 0.21–0.64, p < 0.001; HR 0.38, 95 % CI 0.20–0.72, p = 0.003 and HR 0.31 95 % CI 0.13–0.76, p = 0.01, respectively). Acute and late adverse events (AEs) were reported in 38 (20.9 %) and 29 (16 %) patients. Larger tumor GTV (≥10 cc) was significantly associated with acute and late toxicity (p < 0.001 and p = 0.009, respectively). Conclusions In patients with recurrent meningiomas, reirradiation is a feasible treatment option associated with acceptable toxicity profile. Prognostic factors in the decision-making process have been identified and should be incorporated in daily practice.