Risk Factors for Meningioma

Doctors diagnose about 30,000 cases of meningioma each year. Women develop the tumors about twice as often as men, for reasons that remain unclear. The risk of developing a meningioma increases with age and previous exposure to radiation, such as radiation therapy for another medical condition.

People with an inherited condition called type 2 neurofibromatosis (NF2) also have an increased risk of meningioma. This condition causes multiple tumors to develop in the nerve tissues and is caused by genetic changes passed down from parents.