Background: Grade I meningiomas are generally benign and non-invasive whereas Grade II (atypical) and Grade III (malignant) meningiomas tend to be invasive with a high risk of recurrence. SPARC, secreted protein, acidic and rich in cysteine, is a multifunctional glycoprotein which has been proposed to be a potential diagnostic marker of invasive meningiomas. There has been increased reporting of atypical meningiomas since the current World Health Organization (WHO) included brain invasion as a grading criterion for classification of these particular meningiomas.
Materials and methods: The aim of this study was to re-evaluate any correlation between immunohistochemical expression of SPARC in 34 meningiomas of various grades using the current classification (2016). We had previously classified these cases using the 2002 WHO criteria.
Results: There is no correlation between expression of SPARC and invasion in different grades of meningioma.
Conclusion: SPARC does not appear to be a good predictor of invasion in meningiomas.
Keywords: SPARC; immunohistochemistry; invasion; malignant; meningioma; recurrence.
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