Aggressive Meningiomas Linked to a Single Gene

A milestone effort to define the molecular profile of aggressive meningioma identified FOXM1 as a key transcription factor driving proliferation and recurrence. A group of investigators led by David R. Raleigh, MD, PhD, examined 280 human meningioma samples collected by UCSF neurosurgeons between 1990 and 2015.

Using an array of techniques, including RNA sequencing, whole exome sequencing, DNA methylation profiling, tissue microarrays and targeted gene expression profiling, Raleigh and colleagues found that heightened activation of the FOXM1 gene was the unifying factor between aggressive meningiomas in both men and women, in older and younger patients, and in meningiomas arising in different parts of the brain. The gene’s activation seems to be an important driver of both newly diagnosed tumors and recurrence following treatment. This finding could help clinicians distinguish earlier between aggressive meningiomas and those more responsive to treatment.