Women have a much higher incidence of meningiomas, one theory currently being explored is the relationship between meningiomas and hormones

Sitcom sweetheart Mary Tyler Moore, best known for her roles on The Dick Van Dyke Show and The Mary Tyler Moore Show had surgery last week to remove a benign brain tumor called a meningioma. A spokesman for the actress said, “At the recommendation of her neurologist, who has been monitoring her for years, Mary decided to proceed with this fairly routine procedure.” Routine?  A tumor growing in your head for years???  That doesn’t sound very routine to me; it sounds scary actually.  But, apparently that is the typical course of treatment for benign brain tumors.  Watch and wait. 

Technically, what Mary Tyler Moore has isn’t really a brain tumor because meningiomas don't originate in brain tissue.  Meningiomas grow in the meninges, the protective membranes that surround the brain and spinal cord.  And as far as brain tumors go, a benign meningioma is the one to get as they are unlikely to be fatal. That being said, even a benign tumor can be dangerous if it gets too big, grows inward and puts pressure on the brain, or constricts the blood vessels. I guess that’s why they watch and wait.

Meningiomas are not too common.  Only 1 in 50,000 people a year will be diagnosed with one yet they account for more than 25% of all brain tumors. As with many illnesses, meningiomas are more common in women.  Women develop brain meningiomas twice as often and spinal meningiomas four to five times as often as men. Meningiomas typically appear between the ages of 40 and 70.

It isn't clear what causes meningiomas.  However, certain genetic conditions or radiation exposure to the brain during childhood are known to increase the risk of meningiomas in adulthood. One recent study showed that children who lived overseas during the 1950’s and were given low doses of radiation to the scalp to treat ringworm had “a remarkably high” rate of meningiomas two to three decades later. Just a thought, but I wonder what cell phone usage will do to both children and adults over the next 20 years…

Since women have a much higher incidence of meningiomas, one theory currently being explored is the relationship between meningiomas and hormones.  Meningiomas have hormone receptors and progesterone and estrogen are thought to play a role in the tumor’s development and growth cycles.  One interesting fact is that women with meningiomas often experience growth spurts during pregnancy or menstruation. Researchers are also investigating the link between breast cancer and meningiomas as well.

Symptoms of meningiomas may be vague at first.  They often first appear as a persistent headache due to increased pressure on the brain. But, as the tumor grows patients may experience blurred or double vision, severe headaches, hearing loss, memory loss, unsteadiness, weakness in the arms and legs, and seizures.  Since meningiomas grow slowly; it may take years before they cause obvious symptoms and some people with meningiomas may never exhibit symptoms at all. In that case a tumor may be discovered during a diagnostic scan for another reason such as a head injury.

The prognosis for patients after meningioma removal is generally positive.  Much depends on the condition of the patient before surgery and the size and location of the tumor, but the majority of patients will do well and can return to their former lifestyle.  As for the 74 year old Mary Tyler Moore, her spokeswoman said, “The tumor was resected in its entirety…she tolerated the procedure without difficulty and is recovering nicely with her husband at her bedside and she will require no additional treatment.”

Thanks to research, new treatments and procedures, improved drugs and techniques, more and more people are "survivors" of cancer. 

Stacy Matson, a health enthusiast from Southern California, regularly blogs on Celebrity Health for A Healthier World, as well as contributing to the Best of the Best.