Brain tumors

Question 1

Pilocytic astrocytoma

Answer 1

Children
Posterior fossa
Benign
Glial cell, GFAP+
Eosinophilic, corkscrew Rosenthal fibers
Solid on gross path.

Question 2

Medulloblastoma

Answer 2

Children
Cerebellum
Most common malignant brain tumor in kids
Compress 4th ventricle
Drop mets. to spinal cord

Primitive NET, Homer-Wright rosettes, Small blue cells

Question 3

Ependymoma

Answer 3

Children
4th Ventricle
Poor prognosis
Ependymal cell origin
Perivascular rosettes
Rod-shaped blepharoblasts (basal ciliary bodies) near nucleus

Question 4

Craniopharyngioma

Answer 4

Most common childhood supratentorial
Bitemporal hemianopsia
Remnants of Rathke pouch with calcification
Crystals in motor oil

Question 5

Pinealoma

Answer 5

Kids

Parinaud syndrome- tectal compression (vertical gaze palsy), obstructive hydrocephalus (cerebral aqueduct)
precocious puberty in boys due to elevated b-HCG

Similar to GC tumors

Question 6

Glioblastoma multiforme

Answer 6

Adult

Common highly malignant 1˚ brain tumor
Cerebral hemispheres, cross corpus call.
Oligodendrocyte origin GFAP+
Pseudopallisading necrosis

Question 7

Oligodendroma

Answer 7

Adult

Slow growing, frontal lobes, chicken wire capillary
Oligodendrocyte origin, fried egg, calcified

Question 8

Meningiomas

Answer 8

Adult

Common, benign in parasagittal regions, dural tail
Seizures or focal defect
Tx:surgery, rad

Arachnoid origin, spindle cells, in whorled pattern, psammoma bodies

Question 9

Hemangioblastomas

Answer 9

Adult
Cerebellar
VHL with retinal adenomas
Can make EPO and cause polycythemia
Thin walled capillaries with few parenchymal cells

Question 10

Schwannoma

Answer 10

Adult
Cerebellopontine angle or any periph. n.

Usually CNVIII in int. acoustic meatus, vestibular schwannoma

bilateral in NF2

Schwann cell origin S100+