Neoplasms Flashcards
A 65 year-old man presented with headaches and confusion.
Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) = Grade IV astrocytoma
Tumors of CNS have 4 symptoms:
- Progressive, focal neurological deficits
- Headache - worse lying down, associated with nausea/vomiting
- Seizures
- Gradual cognitive slowing and personality changes
GBM
- Most common and most lethal type of astrocytoma
- Always in cerebral hemispheres
- Histology - necrosis, vascular proliferation, pleomorphic cells
- Imaging - enhancing mass with nonenhancing necrosis
Tumors of anterior frontal lobe present with…
- Weakness of contralateral leg
- Personality changes - disinhibition, poor judgment, cognitive slowing
- Urinary incontinence
- Gaze towards lesion
- Seizures
Tumors of the posterior frontal lobe present with…
- Contralateral weakness
- Expressive aphasia (left-sided lesion)
- Neglect (right-sided lesion)
TUmors oft he temporal lobe present with…
- Memory impairment
- Receptive aphasia (left-sided)
- Neglect (right-sided)
- Contralateral superior quadrantanopsia
- Seizures
Tumors of occipital lobe present with…
- Contralateral homonymous hemianopsia
- Visual hallucinations
- Alexia without agraphia (left-sided)
- Seizures
Tumors of the thalamus present with…
- Contralateral sensory loss
- Aphasia (left-sided mass)
A 50 year-old healthy man developed cognitive slowing.
Gliomatatosis cerebri - multicentric gliomas
- Malignant glioma characterized by extensive tumor infiltration without a discrete mass or areas of necrosis
- Indistinguishable from metastatic disease or demyelination
- Imaging
- Small areas of enhancement
- Signs
- Headache, seizure, personality change, dementia, weakness
- Epidemiology
- Younger than 40
- Treatment
- Whole-brain radiation and chemotherapy
39 year-old woman with right- sided weakness and left 6th nerve palsy.
Brainstem glioma
- Signs
- Headache and hydrocephalus
- Ipsilateral CN deficits
- Contralateral sensory and motor deficits
- Surgery does not work!
A 49 year-old man presents with a seizure.
MRI:
- At diagnosis
- 2 weeks later
- 1 year later
- Glioma
- Post-surgery
- Post-radiation
Low-grade gliomas:
-
Grade I astrocytoma
- Surgery is curative
-
Grade II astrocytoma
- Surgery is often not curative
- Radiation or chemotherapy needed
Radiation necrosis:
- Edema = hyperintensity on FLAIR
A 7 year-old child developed progressive headaches and ataxia.
Juvenile pilocytic astrocytoma (JPA)
-
Astrocytomas are the most common type of intracranial neoplasms in children and young adults
- 75% are JPAs
JPA
- Benign grade I tumors typically in cerebellar hemisphere
- Associated with neurofibromatosis type I
- Signs
- Headache, ataxia, increased ICP
- Surgery is curative
- Imaging
- Well-circumscribed lesions
- Large cystic component with enhancing mural nodule
- DDx
- Hemangioblastoma
A 12 year-old child presented with seizures.
Ganglioglioma
- Slow-growing tumors most commonly in children and young adults
- Glial + neural elements
- Can become malignant
- Common in temporal > frontal, parietal, occipital
- Near hypothalamus and infratentorial
- Signs
- Seizures
- Imaging
- Cystic tumors with or without solid component
-
Calcifications common on CT
- Differentiates from JPA and pleomorphic xanthrocytomas
A 45 year-old man developed headaches. The following lesions was seen and was stable for many years.
Subependymoma
- Benign, slow growing neoplasm
- Found in 4th ventricle - do not invade brain or cerebellum
- Symptoms
- If they obstruct ventricular system - increased ICP symptoms
A 45 year-old man developed personality changes and weakness in his legs.
Meningioma (of the falx)
- Benign, slow-growing tumors
-
Most common benign neoplasm
- 2nd most common neoplasm overall (#1 = glioma)
- Arise from arachnoid and attach to the dura and rarely invade the brain
- Involved in neurofibromatosis type II
- Risk factor = prior irradiation
Treatment
- Asymptomatic lesions can be followed
-
Surgical resection with preoperative embolization
- 25% recur
- Malignant meningiomas have higher recurrence rate (80%) and require radiation
-
Stereotactic radiosurgery for unresectable lesions
- Tumors of cavernous sinus are hard to resect
A 36 year-old man presented with seizures and a dull headache.
Calcified meningioma (of sphenoid wing)
- 25% of meningiomas are calcified on CT
A 5 year-old presented with with headaches and restricted upgaze.
Pinealcytoma
- Pineal tumors present with:
- Vertical gaze palsy (when the affect midbrain)
- Circadian rhythm disturbance
- Hydrocephalus and headache if ventricular obstruction
- Types of tumors:
-
Pinealomas (20%)
-
Pineoblastomas = type of PNET
- Children
- 5-year survival = 50%
- Subarachnoid space
- Surgery and radiation
-
Pinealcytomas
- Adults
- 5-year survival = 90%
- Surgery alone
-
Pineoblastomas = type of PNET
-
Germ cell
-
Germinomas (40%)
- Frequently in suprasellar region
- M > F, Asians
- Chemotherapy and radiation
- Elevated hCG + AlkP
- Teratomas
- Embryonal carcinomas
- Choriocarcinomas
-
Germinomas (40%)
-
Pinealomas (20%)