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Case Reports
. 2024 Dec 16;10(2):20551169241291842.
doi: 10.1177/20551169241291842. eCollection 2024 Jul-Dec.

Brain invasion by an otherwise benign meningioma in a cat

Kiyotaka Arai  1 , Shinichi Nakamura  2 , Kanami Matsubara  2 , Yuma Ozaki  2 , Sho Kadekaru  2 , Akihiko Sugiyama  2 , Ikki Mitsui  3 , Natsuki Akashi  4 , Ryohei Yoshitake  5 , Kenji Kutara  6
Affiliations
Case Reports

Brain invasion by an otherwise benign meningioma in a cat

Kiyotaka Arai et al. JFMS Open Rep. .

Abstract

Case summary: A 13-year-old castrated male American Shorthair cat was referred for evaluation following a 3-week history of poor balance and decreased activity. The MRI findings revealed a well-defined left caudal cerebellar mass with a diameter of 1.2 cm, consistent with a meningioma. CT and MRI scans did not reveal metastasis. After a suboccipital craniotomy, the mass was resected subtotally as a result of parenchymal invasion. A histopathological examination revealed a benign fibrous meningioma with invasion into the cerebellum at the tumour margins. Postoperatively, the cat remained asymptomatic for 25 months, but ataxia recurred, and tumour recurrence was confirmed using MRI and post-mortem examination.

Relevance and novel information: This case demonstrates that even feline meningiomas with benign features can exhibit brain invasion. Since brain invasion is an indicator of malignancy in meningioma, a detailed histopathological evaluation of the tumour margins is essential for accurate grading and prognosis.

Keywords: Meningioma; benign; brain invasion; histopathology.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Diagnostic MRI and CT images before the first surgery. (a) A horizontal T2-weighted image reveals a hypointense mass with a hyperintense signal in the surrounding cerebellar parenchyma. (b) Transverse and (c) horizontal contrast-enhanced T1-weighted images reveal almost homogeneous enhancement of the mass with a dural tail sign. (d) A transverse CT image at the level of the cerebellum suggests microcalcifications in the mass (white arrowhead)
Figure 2
Figure 2
Gross and histological images of the meningioma at the first surgery. (a) The meningioma, accessed via a suboccipital approach, appears as a milky white mass (asterisk). (b) Low- and (c) high-magnification (square in panel b) images of H&E-stained sections of meningioma show wavy growths of spindle-shaped tumour cells with nuclei of mildly irregular size. (d) A low-magnification image of an H&E-stained section of meningioma shows tumour cells forming finger-like protrusions (arrowheads) invading the cerebellar parenchyma. Bars = 100 μm. H&E = haematoxylin and eosin
Figure 3
Figure 3
Gross and histological images from the post-mortem examination. (a) The cerebellum shows a depression (arrowhead) caused by tumour pressure. (b) A pale yellow tumour (asterisk) with an irregular surface is attached to the occipital bone. (c) A low-magnification image of an H&E-stained section of meningioma reveals tumour invasion into the cerebellum (arrowheads indicate finger-like protrusions). (d) A low-magnification image of an H&E-stained section of the occipital bone reveals a cluster of tumour cells within the occipital bone. Bars = 250 μm. H&E = haematoxylin and eosin
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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