Colombian Vice President German Vargas Lleras Recovers From Brain Surgery; 5 Things to Know About Benign Meningioma

Last month, Colombian Vice President German Vargas Lleras was rushed to the hospital after experiencing convulsions linked to a benign structural brain lesion. He was later diagnosed with benign meningioma, a tumor that occurs in meninges, the area around the brain and spinal cord. FOX News Latino reports that Vargas Lleras had undergone a successful brain surgery and has now been ordered to take four weeks off work to recover.

"Vice President German Vargas is in the best hands. We're confident that he will come out of his surgery fine and that we'll have him back among us," Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos wrote via his official Twitter account.

Vargas Lleras is currently recovering at the Santa Fe Foundation, which announced that "Several days of hospitalization are forecast. In accord with the progress he makes, he will be discharged."

What exactly is meningioma? Here are some things to know about this kind of tumor.

1. Meningioma is a type of tumor that develops on the three membranes covering of the brain and spinal cord, called meninges, as per WebMD. However, most of these tumors develop in the brain. According to the American Brain Tumor Association, these tumors represent about one-third of all primary brain tumors and are common among middle-aged women.

2. Meningioma grows slow and does not have any symptoms in the beginning. These types of tumors are slow-growing and grow inward, causing pressure on the brain or spinal cord. However, when it is fully developed, a person with meningioma may experience headaches, seizures, blurred vision, weakness in limbs, numbness, and speech problems.

3. Meningioma is caused by at least two factors. According to WebMD, the known risk factors for developing meningioma are first, exposure to radiation, and secondly, a genetic disorder called neurofibromatosis type 2. In fact, about 5% to 15% of meningioma patients have neurofibromatosis type 2, a disorder characterized by the growth of tumors in the nervous system.

4. Meningioma can be treated through surgery or radiation. For those tumors that do not cause any symptoms, it is highly recommended to have it monitored regularly by a doctor through brain scans. However, larger or more developed tumors require a craniotomy, in which part of the skull will be removed in order to take away the tumor.

5. Meningioma can grow up to 2 inches in diameter. According to UCLA Neurosurgery, such large tumors are in fact common. However, faster-growing meningiomas that exhibit cancer-like behavior are rare. Meningiomas account for about 20% of all head tumors and 10% of spine tumors.