Concurrence of craniopharyngioma and meningioma: a case report and systematic review of the literature

Abstract

Craniopharyngioma (CPG) is a benign epithelial tumor that originates from Rathke’s pouch. Meningiomas (MNG) are neoplasms of meningothelial cell. The patient is a 42-year-old female who presented with left-sided temporal headaches and visual acuity impairment. Neurological examination revealed bilateral peripheral visual field defects. Imaging of the brain showed a hypointense solid-cystic sellar lesion with suprasellar extension without calcification which enhanced with contrast. Also present was a second, contrast-enhancing extra axial lesion overlying the olfactory groove. The patient had no history of tumor surgery or radiation therapy. Both of the lesions were operated for resection and post operation status was uneventful. This study reports non-radiation related co-occurrence of a craniopharyngioma (CPG) and a meningioma (MNG). We reviewed published articles between 1966 and 2020, and found that although MNGs are the most commonly occurring brain tumors, the occurrence of MNG and CPG together with no relation to radiation is relatively rare, reported only 7 times in living patients. By analyzing the data and keeping in mind that there is no proven common genetic background and risk factor between them, their co-occurrence, shows the importance of further investigation to clear any possible relationship between the two other than mere coincidence.

Keywords:

• Craniopharyngioma
• meningioma
• concurrence
• brain tumor

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Ethical approval

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the national research committee (Hamadan university of medical sciences) and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

Consent for publication

Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants for whom identifying information is included in this article.

Acknowledgments

We have to express our appreciation to Prof. Auguste Kurtis for sharing his pearls of wisdom with us during the course of this research and also immensely grateful to him for his comments on a latest version of the manuscript.

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All authors certify that they have no affiliations with or involvement in any organization or entity with any financial interest (such as honoraria; educational grants; participation in speakers' bureaus; membership, employment, consultancies, stock ownership, or other equity interest; and expert testimony or patent-licensing arrangements), or non-financial interest (such as personal or professional relationships, affiliations, knowledge or beliefs) in the subject matter or materials discussed in this manuscript.

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