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The role of systemic inflammatory cells in meningiomas

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Abstract

The aim of this review is to describe the inflammatory systemic cell infiltrate and its role in pathophysiology and prognostic implications of meningiomas. Articles from PubMed describing inflammation and immune cells in meningioma were systematically selected and reviewed. Infiltrating inflammatory cells are common in meningiomas and correlate with tumor behavior and peritumoral edema. The immune cell infiltrate mainly comprised macrophages, CD4 + T cells of the Th1 and Th2 subtype, CD8 + cytotoxic T cells, mast cells, and to a lesser degree B cells. The polarization of macrophages to M1 or M2 states, as well as the differentiation of T-helper cells to Th1 or Th2 subsets, is of prognostic value, but whether or not the presence of macrophages is associated with the degree of malignancy of the tumor is controversial. The best documented immunosuppressive and tumor-promoting mechanism is the expression of programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1/PD-1L) which is found on both tumor cells and tumor-infiltrating immune cells. The immune cell infiltration varies between different meningiomas. It contributes to a microenvironment with potential contradictory effects on tumor growth and edema. The immune mechanisms are potential therapeutic targets provided that their effects can be comprehensively understood.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neurosurgery, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen University Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark

    Jeppe Haslund-Vinding, Jens Riis Møller, Morten Ziebell & Tiit Mathiesen

  2. Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Panum Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark

    Frederik Vilhardt

  3. Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark

    Tiit Mathiesen

  4. Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Section for Neurosurgery, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden

    Tiit Mathiesen

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Writing—original draft preparation: JRM and JHV drafted the original manuscript and share first authorship. Conceptualization: JRM, JHV, TM, FV, and MZ. Validation: MZ. Supervision: JHV, TM, and FV.

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Haslund-Vinding, J., Møller, J.R., Ziebell, M. et al. The role of systemic inflammatory cells in meningiomas. Neurosurg Rev 45, 1205–1215 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10143-021-01642-x

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