Meningioma Center of Excellence
Expert Guidance for Decisions About Your Meningioma
Learning you have a meningioma can feel overwhelming. You may not know which treatment is right for you.
The Northwestern Medicine Meningioma Center of Excellence helps you make decisions about your care with confidence. Our team of experts looks at your health history and your goals. Then we build a treatment plan made just for you.
To make an appointment, call us 24/7 at 312.695.4360 or fill out a form.
Why Specialized Meningioma Care Matters
A meningioma is a common type of brain tumor. However, every tumor is different. Your care plan needs to match your specific tumor and align with your goals.
Your treatment timeline depends on your tumor. Some people need immediate treatment, and others can be monitored over time. Getting the right treatment at the right time can lower risk of brain problems. It can also lead to better results over time.
Expert meningioma care means knowing when to use treatments, how to use them and how to adjust them for you.
Our expert team includes:
- Neuroradiologists and neuropathologists (doctors who diagnose brain tumors)
- Neurosurgeons (brain surgeons)
- Neuro-oncologists (doctors who treat brain tumors)
- Radiation oncologists (doctors who use radiation to treat cancer)
- Clinical research specialists (healthcare professionals who run clinical trials for new treatments)
Together, this team builds a treatment plan to give you the best possible outcome.
Common questions that we can answer for you
- Do I need treatment now?
- Is it safe for me to wait and get treatment later?
- Should I have surgery? Radiation? Or both?
- Why did my tumor come back?
- What does my pathology report mean?
- Should I get molecular testing?
- Can I join a clinical trial?
How We Help You Navigate Care Decisions
We support you throughout your entire care journey. Our goal is to help you:
- Learn about your options
- Understand complex information
- Make confident choices based on your tumor and goals
- We offer complete meningioma care built around you.
This includes:
- Expertise in surgery
- The latest imaging (scans that show pictures of your brain)
- Molecular pathology, or the study of disease at the cell level
- Clinical research
- Compassionate support
Our Meningioma Team
Our team brings together nationally recognized experts. They meet regularly as a tumor board — a group of experts who reviews your case together. They diagnose, treat and manage meningiomas long term.
We believe expert care means helping you understand:
- Your treatment options
- Why we recommend a certain plan
- How that plan supports your goals and quality of life
Meet the Team
Patients with meningiomas require care from multiple specialists to achieve the best outcomes for each patient. To make an appointment, call us 24/7 at 312.695.4360 or fill out a form.
Personalized Care for Every Stage of Meningioma
We can help you at every stage of meningioma care, including:
Every meningioma is different.
Some tumors can be safely watched for years. Others need surgery, radiation therapy or more advanced treatment.
Your care plan does not only depend on your tumor, though. It also depends on your symptoms, lifestyle, goals and overall health.
At the Meningioma Center of Excellence, we create a treatment plan based on your situation.
Treatment options may include:
- Active surveillance and monitoring
- Brain surgery
- Radiation therapy
- Molecularly guided care
- Clinical trials and emerging therapies
This means watching your tumor closely instead of treating it right away. This can be a good choice if your tumor is not growing or causing symptoms.
Our teams use advanced imaging to track your tumor over time. This helps us know if and when you need treatment.
Why Choose Our Meningioma Center of Excellence?
Multidisciplinary expert review
You benefit from a coordinated review by experts who focus on meningiomas. Every case goes through our tumor board. There, experts work together to create your treatment plan.
Advanced imaging expertise
Two meningiomas can look alike but act very differently. Our experts use advanced molecular testing to better understand a tumor’s biology — its makeup and behavior.
Our neuropathology and molecular pathology teams look at your tumor’s genetic and molecular traits. This can show:
- The risk of your tumor coming back
- How your tumor may act
- How often you may need monitoring
- If a clinical trial is an option
- What the best treatment plan is for you
Getting this information matters. But turning it into clear guidance matters just as much. This helps you make informed decisions.
Specialized surgical care
Surgery is an important option for many meningiomas, and surgical skill is key.
Our brain surgeons are experts in treating complex tumors in challenging areas of the brain. They focus on removing as much tumor as possible while protecting your brain function and quality of life.
Advanced pathology and molecular analysis
It’s important to understand your tumor’s biology. Our neuropathology and molecular pathology teams provide expert tumor analysis. This can help you:
- Understand how your tumor may act in the future
- Make treatment decisions
- Learn if a clinical trial is right for you
- Create a long-term care plan
Personal treatment planning
There is no one-size-fits-all approach for meningioma care. We create recommendations around your needs and goals. Your plan may include monitoring, surgery, radiation therapy, clinical trials or a combination of them all.
Research and innovation
Our doctors and scientists work to:
- Learn more about meningioma through research, clinical trials and other programs
- Bring promising lab discoveries to people as quickly as possible
If your meningioma comes back, our research programs may give you access to treatments not available elsewhere.
Specialized care for complex and recurrent meningiomas
If your meningioma has returned or is atypical (Grade 2) or anaplastic/malignant (Grade 3), you need highly specialized care.
These tumors have a higher risk of coming back. They also raise the risk of brain complications and can change life expectancy. That’s why we evaluate them with advanced imaging, molecular profiling and team-approached reviews. It’s also important to consider new therapy options for treatment.
Our teams are well-suited to care for these tumors. We offer:
- Access to clinical trials
- Specialized molecular testing
- Expert pathology review
- Coordinated care from a team of specialists
- Advanced treatment options for tumors that return
Supporting You Beyond Treatment
Meningioma care does not end when treatment ends.
Living with a meningioma can affect more than your physical health. You may have concerns about your brain function, work, independence, emotional well-being and long-term quality of life.
We can connect you and your family with resources to support you, including:
- Rehabilitation services
- Support and testing for brain function
- Social work services
- Care coordination
- Patient education resources
- Support groups and patient communities