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Meningioma and systemic lupus erythematosus: a matter of pure coincidence?

Rheumatology Unit, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Ferrara, St. Anna Hospital, Ferrara, Italygabriella_castellino{at}yahoo.it

N Rizzo

Rheumatology Unit, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Ferrara, St. Anna Hospital, Ferrara, Italy

S Bernardi

Rheumatology Unit, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Ferrara, St. Anna Hospital, Ferrara, Italy

F Trotta

Rheumatology Unit, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Ferrara, St. Anna Hospital, Ferrara, Italy

M Govoni

Rheumatology Unit, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Ferrara, St. Anna Hospital, Ferrara, Italy

To describe three cases of meningioma observed in a large cohort of 546 patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) followed at our Department in the last 15 years. We identified three cases of meningioma among 181 patients with SLE who underwent a brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) during their disease course (prevalence 1.65%). All three SLE cases were women with a disease onset at 47-, 18- and 42 -years-old, respectively. All patients presented neuropsychiatric (NP) symptoms and had an incidental finding of a meningioma at brain MRI. One patient presented simultaneously a breast cancer. Only one patient had the surgical removal of the mass without improvement of her symptoms while in the other two patients, the removal was not indicated. The association between meningioma and SLE may be a pure coincidence. However, it draws our attention because its detection may represent a confounding factor in the setting of a NPSLE patient.

Key Words: central nervous system • meningioma • oestrogen receptors • progesterone receptors • systemic lupus erythematosus

Lupus, Vol. 18, No. 7, 650-654 (2009)
DOI: 10.1177/0961203308099470


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