Module 1 - CNS Tumours

Question 1

Meningiomas originate from…

Answer 1

arachnoid “cap” cells of arachnoid villi in meninges, meningothelial cells of subarachnoid or stromal arachnoid cells of the choroid plexus.

Question 2

Astrocytomas are graded as…

Answer 2

Pilocytic, diffuse, anaplastic, glioblastoma multiforme.

Blurred margins.

Question 3

Describe the gross pathology of glioblastoma multiforme

Answer 3

Varies but has yellow necrosis and haemorrhage and often crosses the midline through white matter tracts (butterfly glioma).

Question 4

Describe the gross pathology of meningiomas:

Answer 4

White, well-demarcated, dome like with base at dura mater, doesn’t infiltrate parenchyma.

Question 5

Describe the histology of meningiomas:

Answer 5

Whorls with or without psammoma bodies.

Question 6

Describe the histology of glioblastoma multiforme:

Answer 6

Hyperchromatism, vascularity, necrosis.

Question 7

Describe the gross pathology of brain mets:

Answer 7

Sharply demarcated white masses, often at junction of grey and white matter or where there is good vacularity. Usually surrounded by oedema, gliosis. Usually in the cerebral hemispheres.

Question 8

Primary cancer before brain mets:

Answer 8

Lung cancer 48%, breast 15%, genitourinary tract 11%, osteosarcoma 10% and melanoma 9%. Head and neck cancers cause only 6%