1/7. Pineal malignant rhabdoid tumor with chondroid formation in an adult.A pineal tumour in a 27-year-old male is presented with the characteristic histological features of a pineal malignant rhabdoid tumor (MRT) with chondroid formation. Occasionally, tumor cells contained a single well-demarcated hyaline globular inclusion within the cytoplasm adjacent to the nucleus. The stroma of these tumors tends to be densely hyalinized and become chondroid. Immunohistochemical staining was positive for vimentin, epithelial membrane antigen, chromogranin a, synaptophysin, neuron-specific enolase, S-100 protein, and muscle actin. Despite surgery and radiochemotherapy, the tumor recurred in the pineal region and metastasized to the lower lobe of right lung. The patient died 2 years after the initial diagnosis. This is the second published case of central nervous system-MRT appearing in an adult. The clinical and pathological features of pineal MRT in this patient are presented.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = nucleus (Clic here for more details about this article) |
2/7. A 10-month-old boy with a large pineal tumor.February 2005. Case report of a 10-month-old boy with a large tumor located in the pineal gland, consisting of glia, ganglion cells, pigmented neuroepithelium and striated muscle, without immature components. The combination of neuroectodermal and mesenchymal constituents includes entities as pineal anlage tumor (melanotic neuroectodermal tumor of infancy, MNTI), ectomesenchymoma, medullomyoblastoma, and teratoma in the differential diagnosis. Lack of immature elements in this case, however, eliminates ectomesenchymoma and medullomyoblastoma from the differential diagnosis. Retinal anlage tumors, to be considered as MNTI at the site of the pineal gland, usually harbor immature components as well. Therefore, the present case does not match strict criteria of any of the categories mentioned and therefore we have designated it as a "pineal anlage tumor (without immature components)".- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 4.3333012423929keywords = ganglion (Clic here for more details about this article) |
3/7. brain tumor with ipsilateral cerebral hemiatrophy in children.A series of six cases of cerebral tumor with ipsilateral cerebral hemiatrophy, including four cases admitted at our institute, were studied. Various common clinical features were noted in these six cases. The mechanism whereby ipsilateral hemiatrophy of the cerebrum arises from brain tumor has been discussed on the basis of symptomatologic and clinicopathologic findings noted in these 6 cases. 1) The onset of the disease was between 8 and 14 years of age with a mean of 11 years and 8 months; thus all the 6 patients being juvenile. 2) Presenting symptoms developed from 1 year and 2 months to 4 years before admission, with an average of 2 years and 1 month. The clinical course was therefore relatively chronic in every case. 3) Presenting symptoms were: decline of school work, hemiparesis and loss of consciousness. These symptoms were all progressive throughout the course. The principal symptoms were hemiparesis, hemihypoesthesia, character and emotional changes, deterioration of mental faculties and behavioral abnormalities. No sign or symptom of significant increase of intracranial pressure were observed in any case. 4) Ipsilateral cerebral hemiatrophy on the tumor side was evidenced by carotid angiography and by pneumoencephalography. 5) The common site of tumor in this series was the thalamus and its surrounding areas. 6) The tumor was invariably a pinealoma which seemed to be ectopic in every case. 7) The obtained histopathological findings suggest that the ipsilateral cerebral hemiatrophy was due to thinning of the cerebral cortex with degeneration and disappearance of ganglion cells, demyelination in the subcortex and destruction of axons. Our speculated mechanism of ipsilateral cerebral hemiatrophy due to thalamic tumor is that thalamic tumor causes the degeneration and disappearance of thalamic ganglion cells and nerve fibers, consequently occurring secondary Waller's degeneration of afferent and projecting fibers from the thalamus as well as retrograde degeneration of efferent fibers, thus resulting in an extensive atrophy of the cerebral cortex and subcortical tissue.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 8.6666024847857keywords = ganglion (Clic here for more details about this article) |
4/7. Pineoblastoma with ganglionic and glial differentiation: report of two cases.Two cases of pineoblastoma in infants are reported. Both cases exhibited ganglionic and astrocytic differentiation, and one case also showed retinoblastomatous features. Divergent differentiation has been frequently reported in pineocytomas, but ganglionic and glial features in the highly malignant primitive pineoblastoma are unusual. These cases extend the concept of pineoblastoma and further confirm the differentiating potential of primary pineal parenchymal neoplasms.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 25.999807454357keywords = ganglion (Clic here for more details about this article) |
5/7. Clinical and Endocrinological findings in ectopic pinealoma and spongioblastoma of the hypothalamus.Cystic spongioblastoma and ectopic pinealoma occurring simultaneously were found in a 16-year-old male patient, and produced destruction of the hypothalamus. The clinical course extended for over four years. The clinical picture was characterized by a defect of osmo- and thermoregulation and by defective function of diencephalic nuclei and the sympathetic nervous system. The releasing factors for ACTH, TSH, LH, and FSH were lacking and produced corresponding disturbances of pituitary function. Because of the lack of hypothalamic inhibiting factors the prolactin level was increased, and the HGH level was stimulated by arginine loading and inhibited in the glucose test. The intact neurones in the ventromedial nucleus of the hypothalamus could be seen on microscopical examination. Clinical and endrocrinological findings were more suggestive of the diagnosis than the radiological ones. Computerized tomography showed multiple "tumour" localizations without any displacement signs. The occurrence of ectopic pinealoma and spongioblastoma in the same case would suggest, from the pathological point of view, a common dysontogenetic origin developing from the local elements of the nervous tissue.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = nucleus (Clic here for more details about this article) |
6/7. The cytological differentiating potential of pineal parenchymal neoplasms (true pinealomas). A clinicopathological study of 28 tumours.A series of 28 pineal parenchymal tumours is described, with special reference to the potential of some of these neoplasms to differentiate along glial or ganglionic lines, or both. The more undifferentiated tumours (pineoblastomas, 11 cases) were the most frequent: they are histologically similar to medulloblastomas. One example showed focal differentiation to retinoblastoma at the primary site. The histological features of pineoblastomas merged with those of pineocytomas (7 cases), in which the lobular architecture is reminiscent of that of the mature pineal gland. In addition, 10 further examples in the group of pineocytomas showed more advanced differentiation as follows: towards astrocytes only (2 cases), towards ganglion cells only (1) case) and towards both astrocytes and ganglion cells (gangliogliomas) (7 cases). Confirmation of the pineal parenchymal nature of these neoplasms and of their differentiating potential was provided by a modification of the Achucarro-Hortega's silver carbonate impregnation technique for pineal parenchymal cells, by specific silver impregnations for axonal processes, and by an immunoperoxidase stain for glial fibrillary acidic (GFA) protein. Electron microscopy of one new example of pineocytoma with neuronal and astrocytic differentiation demonstrated the presence of numerous microtubules, of clear-centred and dense-core vesicles, and of synaptic complexes. Seven illustrative clinical histories with pathological findings are presented. The identification of special features of cellular differentiation is of importance in evaluating the biological behaviour of these neoplasms since a definite correlation can be established between the patient's age, some of the cytological variants, and the malignant potential of the tumour. Pineoblastomas are highly malignant neoplasms of children and young adults which disseminate widely throughout the cerebrospinal fluid pathways. -ineocytomas without cellular evidence of further differentiation occur at any age and are also clinically malignant, but with a somewhat lesser tendency to metastasize than pineoblastomas. Pineobytomas with astrocytic differentiation occur in adults and may be either slowly growing or malignant. Pineocytomas with neuronal or with neuronal and astrocytic differentiation occur in later life, remain localized, and are relatively benign. Since the latter account for approximately one-third of pineal parenchymal tumours and are likely to be relatively radio-resistant, tissue diagnosis is imperative for a determination of the therapeutic approach. radiation to the entire neuraxis should be administered to patients with pineoblastomas and malignant pineocytomas in view of their high frequency of cerebrospinal metastasis. An accurate histological classification of these tumours therefore carries important clinical and therapeutic implications...- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 12.999903727179keywords = ganglion (Clic here for more details about this article) |
7/7. Virus-like particles in human pinealoma.Virus-like particles were seen in the tumour cells of a pinealoma in a male of 18 years. The particles were dense, spherical or hexagonal in shape, and 100-130 nm in size. They were found in the cytoplasm, but not in the nucleus. They occurred in aggregates or in isolation. They tended to form rows or circles. These particles may be viral in nature, and of one of the herpes-, leuro- or arena-groups, especially when judged from their size. However, greater certainty as to their nature is impossible from the morphological evidence.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = nucleus (Clic here for more details about this article) |