Expression levels of β-catenin and galectin-3 in meningioma and their effect on brain invasion and recurrence: a tissue microarray study

OBJECTIVE Meningiomas are neoplasms that arise from the meninges of the central nervous system (CNS). They constitute about 25.6% of CNS tumors diagnosed in Egypt. Some morphological variants of meningiomas display aggressive behavior, leading to brain-invasive growth pattern. Although meningiomas are usually treated by complete surgical excision, the risk of postoperative recurrence remains. Hence, additional biomarkers for predicting aggressive behavior must be discovered. This study aims to explore the clinical and biological relevance of the protein expression levels of β-catenin and galectine-3 in meningioma and to understand the pathobiology of this neoplasm. METHODS This retrospective study was carried out on 153 cases of meningioma by using tissue microarrays and immunohistochemistry for β-catenin and galectine-3. RESULTS High β-catenin expression was significantly associated with transitional and meningiotheliomatous meningiomas, low tumor grade, low recurrence rate, and low incidence of brain invasion. Meanwhile, high galectin-3 expression was associated with brain invasion, recurrence, high tumor grade, and tumor type. Logistic regression analysis indicated that among all variables included in the model, β-catenin and galactin-3 expression levels were significant predictors of tumor recurrence (P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS Galectin-3 and β-catenin are involved in meningioma recurrencebut not in brain invasion. These molecules could be important potential therapeutic targets and predictors for meningiomas.