Meningeoma treatment includes radiotherapy, surgery and pharmacological therapy. All those treatments are highly cost-intensive. It is topical and necessary to evaluate approaches from the economic point of view. The so-called "high-value" meningioma therapy involves resource expenditures relative to patient outcomes. To define this therapy, prognostic factors for patients have to be find.

Based on an extended literature research in PubMed Library 35 publications were analyzed. Different parameters of meningeoma treatment were taken under view. Special focus was placed on "Simpson degree" (degree of surgical resection completeness) and "WHO degree" (classification of subtypes due to cell characteristics and growth) and the combination of both in various constellations.

The constellation WHO degree 1 and Simpson degree 1 has the lowest treatment costs compared to all other combinations. Cost for a surgery is 9108,73 Euros on average, cost for a radiosurgery is 6476,81 Euro. However, low grade meningioma usually come along with radiological, clinical and laboratory follow-ups over years (medical examination 295,41 Euro, MRI of the skull with contrast medium 450 Euros ending in a total of 745,41 Euros). If applied 15 times, for example, the total costs would be increased by 11.181 Euro. In addition, this observation time can go along with psychological factors leading to anxiety and inability to work. Those long-term cost in sum end into high overall treatment costs.

Due to the long overall survival and the necessity of follow ups it seems that low grade and complete resected meningioma have higher treatment cost than meningioma with a more aggressive growth and/or an incomplete resection. Under the aspect of "high value" therapy it has, to be discussed if treatment costs as well as psychological stress could be reduced by economizing the follow-up care: MRI controls in symptom-free patients should be reduced.