Despite significant research on the role of inflammation and immunosurveillance in the immunologic microenvironment of tumors, little attention has been given to the oncogenic capabilities of the complement cascade. The recent finding that complement may contribute to tumor growth suggests an insidious relationship between complement and cancer, especially in light of evidence that complement facilitates cellular proliferation and regeneration. We address the hypothesis that complement proteins promote carcinogenesis and suggest mechanisms by which complement can drive the fundamental features of cancer. Evidence shows that this diverse family of innate immune proteins facilitates dysregulation of mitogenic signaling pathways, sustained cellular proliferation, angiogenesis, insensitivity to apoptosis, invasion and migration, and escape from immunosurveillance. Given that the traditionally held functions for the complement system include innate immunity and cancer defense, our review suggests a new way of thinking about the role of complement proteins in neoplasia.

Treatment with gross-total resection provides the greatest survival advantage and should be pursued aggressively as an initial therapy. The addition of postoperative adjuvant radiation does not seem to confer a survival benefit.

Preoperative embolization of skull base meningiomas and ICA feeding vessels can be done with low complication rates when intraprocedural decision-making favors complication avoidance over complete devascularization.

Supratentorial hemangioblastoma is a rare form of hemangioblastoma; little information is available regarding prognosis, treatment, and clinical characteristics, because the available literature is primarily composed of case reports and small case series. Therefore, we performed a systematic review of the literature to analyze clinical characteristics, disease progression, and surgical outcomes with respect to survival for supratentorial hemangioblastomas. The rate of progression-free survival (PFS) was determined using Kaplan-Meier analysis. Differences in categorical factors, including location of tumor and diagnosis of von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) disease, were analyzed using the Pearson χ(2) test. A total of 106 articles met the search criteria, which combined for a total of 132 patients. Of the patients with supratentorial tumors, 60% had VHL disease, and 31 (84%) of 37 patients with tumors in the sellar/suprasellar region had associated VHL (χ(2), P < .001). Five-year PFS for gross-total resection and subtotal resection were 100% and 53%, respectively (Log rank, P < .01). On the basis of our analysis of the literature on published cases of supratentorial hemangioblastoma, gross-total resection appears to be superior to other treatment modalities in extending PFS. Von Hippel-Lindau disease is positively correlated with supratentorial hemangioblastoma when compared with non-supratentorial CNS hemangioblastomas, particularly when present in the sellar/suprasellar region.

As expanding research reveals the novel ability of complement proteins to promote proliferation and regeneration of tissues throughout the body, the concept of the complement cascade as an innate immune effector has changed rapidly. In particular, its interactions with the central nervous system have provided a wealth of information regarding the ability of complement proteins to mediate neurogenesis, synaptogenesis, cell migration, neuroprotection, proliferation and regeneration. At numerous phases of the neuronal and glial cell cycle, complement proteins exert direct or indirect influence over their behavior and fate. Neuronal stem cells differentiate and migrate in response to complement, and it prevents injury and death in adult cells in response to toxic agents. Furthermore, complement proteins promote survival via anti-apoptotic actions, and can facilitate clearance and regeneration of injured tissues in various models of CNS disease. In summary, we highlight the protean abilities of complement proteins in the central nervous system, underscoring an exciting avenue of research that has yielded greater understanding of complement's role in central nervous system health and disease.