CNS Pathology
General Features of CNS tumors:
• No premalignant or in situ stage
• Low grade lesions can widely infiltrate with serious clinical deficit
• Anatomical site important in outcome regardless of type, grade
• Rarely spread outside CNS
CNS Tumors Classification (According to the cell of origin)
Embryonal
Glioma Neuronal Tumors (Primitive)
Neoplasms
Others
Meningeoma Metastatic Tumors (Lymphoma and
Germ cell tumors)
Note: I tried to make the pie chart below similar to the colored one in the slides, but you can still
have a look over the one there.
General Classification of CNS Tumors
Metastases
Lung
Breast
Melanoma Glial Tumors
Renal astrocytoma
colon
Non Glial Tumors
Glial Tumors Non Glial Tumors Metastases
, Gliomas Classification
Gliomas
Astrocytomas Oligodendroglioma Ependymomas
WHO Grade 2: WHO Grade 3: WHO Grade 3
Localized Diffuse Well Differentiated WHO Grade 1 WHO Grade 2
Anaplastic Ependymoma:
(infiltrating) Oligodendroglioma Ependymomas Ependymoma
Oligodendroglioma Anaplastic
WHO Grade 1: Ependymoma
WHO Grade 2: WHO Grade 3:
Pilocytic Anaplastic WHO Grade 4:
Well differentiated Glioblastoma Myxopapillary
Astrocytoma Astrocytoma Astrocytoma Subependymomas
Ependymoma
- Gliomas are the most common primary brain tumors.
- It is now thought that the different types of gliomas originate from a
progenitor cell that can differentiate to these three morphologic types.
General info. about “Diffuse astrocytoma”
▪ Account for 80% of adult gliomas.
▪ Present at 40- 60 years of age
▪ Location: cerebral hemispheres
▪ Present with seizures, headache, focal neurologic deficit
▪ Has a spectrum of histological differentiation (unlike the localized pilocytic
astrocytoma)
▪ Prognosis is affected by grade (Grade 4 has the worst prognosis)
▪ There is no grade 1 diffuse astrocytoma.
General Features of CNS tumors:
• No premalignant or in situ stage
• Low grade lesions can widely infiltrate with serious clinical deficit
• Anatomical site important in outcome regardless of type, grade
• Rarely spread outside CNS
CNS Tumors Classification (According to the cell of origin)
Embryonal
Glioma Neuronal Tumors (Primitive)
Neoplasms
Others
Meningeoma Metastatic Tumors (Lymphoma and
Germ cell tumors)
Note: I tried to make the pie chart below similar to the colored one in the slides, but you can still
have a look over the one there.
General Classification of CNS Tumors
Metastases
Lung
Breast
Melanoma Glial Tumors
Renal astrocytoma
colon
Non Glial Tumors
Glial Tumors Non Glial Tumors Metastases
, Gliomas Classification
Gliomas
Astrocytomas Oligodendroglioma Ependymomas
WHO Grade 2: WHO Grade 3: WHO Grade 3
Localized Diffuse Well Differentiated WHO Grade 1 WHO Grade 2
Anaplastic Ependymoma:
(infiltrating) Oligodendroglioma Ependymomas Ependymoma
Oligodendroglioma Anaplastic
WHO Grade 1: Ependymoma
WHO Grade 2: WHO Grade 3:
Pilocytic Anaplastic WHO Grade 4:
Well differentiated Glioblastoma Myxopapillary
Astrocytoma Astrocytoma Astrocytoma Subependymomas
Ependymoma
- Gliomas are the most common primary brain tumors.
- It is now thought that the different types of gliomas originate from a
progenitor cell that can differentiate to these three morphologic types.
General info. about “Diffuse astrocytoma”
▪ Account for 80% of adult gliomas.
▪ Present at 40- 60 years of age
▪ Location: cerebral hemispheres
▪ Present with seizures, headache, focal neurologic deficit
▪ Has a spectrum of histological differentiation (unlike the localized pilocytic
astrocytoma)
▪ Prognosis is affected by grade (Grade 4 has the worst prognosis)
▪ There is no grade 1 diffuse astrocytoma.
