Prognostic significance of preoperative neutrophilia on recurrence-free survival in meningioma

Background. Meningioma is the most common primary intracranial tumor and recurrence is one of the important challenges in patient management. Prognostic factors for tumor recurrences in these patients especially before surgical resection are not fully characterized. Several studies have indicated an association between changes in hematologic laboratory parameters with patient outcomes in solid malignancies. We aimed to assess the association between hematologic parameters and tumor recurrence in patients with meningioma. Methods. Preoperative complete blood count (CBC) data were analyzed in patients with newly diagnosed meningioma (n = 222). Clinical data, including history of corticosteroid therapy, tumor characteristics, and follow-up, were obtained. Recurrence-free survival (RFS) was evaluated using Cox proportional hazards models and log-rank tests. Results. Using preoperative CBC data from patients prior to any steroid therapy, 51 (23%) patients had neutrophilia. In univariate analysis, neutrophilia was significantly associated with meningioma recurrence (hazard ratio [HR] 2.73; P < 0.01). Neither leukocytosis nor lymphocytosis was associated with RFS. In multivariate analysis, after adjusting for tumor grade, tumor size, and extent of resection, neutrophilia remained an independent prognostic factor for RFS (HR 2.23, P = 0.01). Forty-six (21%) patients had low hemoglobin levels indicative of anemia, and the presence of anemia showed a trend toward high risk for recurrence (HR 1.83; P = 0.06). Conclusions. The presence of neutrophilia was associated with higher rate of tumor recurrence in patients with meningioma. Validation of these results and the biologic role of neutrophilic inflammatory/immune reaction in meningioma requires further investigation.