Epidemiology of Supratentorial Meningiomas in Children

Incidence and Prevalence

• Incidence of 0.3/100,000: The incidence is far lower than that in adults. Supratentorial meningiomas are generally considered to be <2.5% of pediatric tumors and may occur in any part of the neural axis (6,9)

Age Distribution

• 10 years mean age at presentation: The mean age at presentation is approximately 10 years, with the range from infancy through 15 years. Spontaneous meningiomas tend to occur in younger children than do meningiomas associated with NF or radiation, which peak closer to 13 years of age.

Sex Predilection

• None established: Unlike in adults, where there is a strong female predominance, most series in children report either no sex predilection, or a male predominance.

Geographic Distribution

• No predilection: These tumors occur throughout the world, with no clear geographic distribution. Large series have emerged from China, Greece, Turkey, India, and the US, among others.

Risk Factors

• Irradiation: There are clear environmental risk factors. There is a strong association between prior cranial irradiation and meningioma. The classic association in children was noted after low-dose cranial irradiation for tinea capitis.

Relationships to Other Disease States and Syndromes

• NF2 has a high association with pediatric intracranial meningioma. In some series, 50% of these tumors were associated with either irradiation or NF2.