Radiation-Induced World Health Organization Grade II Meningiomas in Young Patients Following Prophylactic Cranial Irradiation for Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia in Childhood

—Three Case Reports—

Abstract

Current chemotherapeutic regimens have been used to successfully treat many children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), but have resulted in an increased risk of late central nervous system tumors, most commonly meningioma, particularly in patients who have received cranial irradiation. We treated 3 young patients with World Health Organization grade II meningiomas who had previously received cranial irradiation for the treatment of childhood ALL: a cerebellopontine angle tumor in a 19-year-old woman, a petroclival tumor in a 28-year-old man, and a frontal parasagittal tumor in a 19-year-old woman. These cases were difficult to treat due to the aggressive and invasive biology of the tumors. Therefore, we recommend systematic cranial imaging and long follow-up periods for leukemia survivors to detect brain tumors before progression.