Overweight, Obesity and Meningioma Risk: A Meta-Analysis

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Studies of the association between excess body weight and risk of meningioma have produced inconsistent results. Therefore, a meta-analysis of published studies was performed to better assess the association between meningioma and excess body weight. METHODS: A literature search was conducted in the PubMed and EMBASE databases without any limitations. The reference lists of identified articles were also screened for additional studies. The summary relative risks (RRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated using fixed- or random-effects models. RESULTS: A total of 6 studies provided risk estimates for overweight or obesity. Overall, the combined RRs were 1.12 (95% CI = 0.98–1.28) for overweight and 1.45 (95% CI = 1.26–1.67) for obesity. After stratification by gender, no significant association was observed for obese men (RR = 1.30, 95% CI = 0.64–2.62), while significant association was detected for obese women (RR = 1.46, 95% CI = 1.26–1.69). No substantial differences emerged across strata of study design and geographic areas. CONCLUSION: The results of this meta-analysis suggest that obesity but not overweight is associated with an increased risk of meningioma. Due to the limited number of studies, further research is needed to confirm the association.