Study Focuses on Meningiomas and Women
An epidemiological study currently in progress at the Brigham and Women's Hospital under the leadership of Dr. Peter Black is examining the complete medical histories of 120 female meningioma patients. The majority of those being studied are in their "perimenopausal years," that is, within approximately 5 years of the average age of menopause in the United States. 

While the study is incomplete, it already is revealing some potentially important observations. Most of the patients in the study were suffering from a constellation of disorders, some of which are associated with high levels of systemic estrogen activity. A subset of women had a separate set of non-estrogen related endocrine disorders. Further analysis suggests three classes of tumor subtypes. One subtype may grow in response to estrogen and drugs that block the effects of estrogen may prevent their regrowth. In another subtype, tumor growth may be driven by certain molecules that regulate the endocrine system. Finally, a subtype of tumors may grow partially in response to estrogen and partially in response to the endocrine signal.