In addition, preliminary data in four patients demonstrated reduction in size in three recurrent, non-resectable benign meningiomas and absence of recurrence for 2.5 years in a patient with a malignant meningioma. Additional patients are currently under study. Another agent that has been used for its antiproliferative and immunomodulatory effects is IFNa. Its use in meningiomas has been substantiated in various in-vitro and clinical studies. Its mechanism of action includes a direct cytotoxic effect, activation of natural killer cells, modulation of antibody production, an anti-angiogenic effect and induction of major histocompatibility complex antigens on the tumor cell surface.
Preliminary results are encouraging.
A sixth patient with a malignant variant progressed after four months. Although these agents are still in their early stages of clinical evaluation, they do offer hope for patients with a type of tumor that, if uncontrolled, will lead to increasingly disfiguring or harmful therapeutic interventions and, ultimately, the patient s demise. Results of this study are pending, but this agent may be of benefit to some patients.