Non-resectable slow-growing meningiomas treated by hydroxyurea

Purpose: To test the benefit of hydroxyurea in the treatment of recurrent and non-resectable slow-growing meningiomas. Methods: Twelve patients with regrowing non-malignant meningiomas, were enrolled for a protocol of 2 years with continuous chemotherapy with hydroxyurea, 20 mg/kg/day. Response to treatment was evaluated both clinically and by diagnostic imaging using computed tomography (CT) and 201-Thallium single photon emission CT. One minimal response was documented by CT, accompanied by clinical stabilization. Nine patients showed progressive disease, at least by one imaging procedure, with a median time to progression of 13 months (range 4-24). Two other patients were not available for response due to early removal from the study, following abrupt manifestation of grades 3-4 hematological toxicity. Conclusion: In this series hydroxyurea has not shown effectiveness in the treatment of non-resectable slow-growing meningiomas: neither for achieving response, nor for arresting disease progression.