CNS Tumors Flashcards
List in order of frequency, the most common primary intracranial tumors in Adults.
- Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM)
- Meningioma
- Acoustic neuroma
What are the most common primary intracranial tumors in Children?
- Medulloblastoma
- Cerebellar Astrocytomas
Where do Gliomas arise from?
glial supportive tissue of the brain
What type of tumor is GBM?
Infiltrating Astrocytomas
What do Infiltrating Astrocytomas have the ability to do?
- Arise at any site in the CNS
- Preference: cerebral hemispheres
Describe Oligodendrogliomas.
- ill-defined
- Slow growing glioma
- Arises from oligodendrocytes in the white matter of the cerebral hemispheres (temporal lobe)
- 5% of all primary CNS neoplasm in adults
- Rare in children
- Prognosis is relatively good
Where do Ependymomas arise from?
-
Ependymal cells lining the ventricle and the central canal of the spinal cord
- Most common tumor of the spinal cord
What may be the result of Ependymomas?
- Papillary growths that:
- Obstruct flow of CSF
- Lead to Hydrocephalus
Describe a Meningioma.
- Benign, slow growing tumor
- Produce symptoms by compression of brain tissue rather than by invasion
- After age 30
- W > M
Where do Meningiomas originate?
- Arachnoidal cells of the meninges
- Tumor is external to the brain
- Surgical removal can often be successful
Where do Meningiomas occur most frequently?
- Convexities of the cerebral hemispheres
AND
- Parasagittal region
How are Meningiomas characterized histologically?
- Whorled pattern of concentricaly arranged spindle cells and laminated calcified psammoma bodies
Where do Medulloblastomas arise?
- Tumor of primitive neuroepithelial cells
- Arises in the cerebellum in children
Medulloblastomas are highly malignant, with a rapid growth rate and may cause…
Obstruction of the 4th ventricle resulting in Hydrocephalus
Where do Neuroblastomas arise and what do they usually affect?
- Dedifferentiated neural crest cells
- Cerebral hemispheres
