—  SPECIALTY CONFERENCE  —

Neuropathology

Case 4 - Angiocentric Glioma, WHO Grade I

Arie Perry
Washington University School of Medicine
St. Louis, MO





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Clinical History
The patient is a 24-year woman who presented with a history of partial seizures since the age of 13. EEG mapped her seizure focus to the left medial temporo-occipital lobe and MR images showed a vaguely enhancing, T2/FLAIR hyperintense, gyriform lesion in the same region. The lesion was slightly enlarged compared to studies performed 8 years and 1 year previously. Therefore, a surgical resection was performed. There is no evidence of recurrence after one year of clinical followup.


Case 4 - Slide 1
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Case 4 - Figure 1
T2-weighted MRI showing a bright gyriform lesion involving the cortex of the left medial temporo-occipital lobe.

Case 4 - Figure 2
Moderately cellular intracortical tumor with nuclear palisading in subpial and perivascular regions.

Case 4 - Figure 3
The tumor cells have oval to elongate nuclei with delicate fibrillary processes, reminiscent of astrocytoma.

Case 4 - Figure 4
Perivascular nuclear free zone resembling the pseudorosettes of ependymoma.

Case 4 - Figure 5
Subpial palisades with nuclei arranged both perpendicular and parallel to the pial surface.

Case 4 - Figure 6
Perivascular and subpial aggregates of tumor cells.

Case 4 - Figure 7
GFAP stain highlighting thin tumoral processes, some of which radiate towards blood vessels.

Case 4 - Figure 8
The immunostain for neurofilament protein highlighted numerous entrapped axons, consistent with an infiltrative growth pattern. The angiocentric tumor pattern is also highlighted in relief.

Case 4 - Figure 9
A subset of tumor cells displayed dot-like cytoplasm immunoreactivity for epithelial membrane antigen (EMA).

Case 4 - Figure 10
Electron microscopy revealed spindled tumor cells with electron dense cytoplasm rich in intermediate filaments and numerous microvilli.

Differential Diagnosis
  1. Angiocentric glioma, WHO grade I

  2. Diffuse astrocytoma, WHO grade II

  3. Tanycytic ependymoma, WHO grade II

Final Diagnosis
Angiocentric glioma, WHO grade I

Key words:
brain tumor, angiocentric glioma, ependymoma, WHO

References
  1. Burger PC, Jouvet A, Preusser M et al. Angiocentric glioma. In: Louis DN, Ohgaki H, Wiestler OD and Cavenee WK eds. WHO classification of tumours of the central nervous system. Lyon: IARC, 2007: 92-93.

  2. Lellouch-Tubiana A, Boddaert N, Bourgeois M et al. Angiocentric neuroepithelial tumor (ANET): a new epilepsy-related clinicopathological entity with distinctive MRI. Brain Pathol 2005; 15: 4: 281-6.

  3. Wang M, Tihan T, Rojiani AM et al. Monomorphous angiocentric glioma: a distinctive epileptogenic neoplasm with features of infiltrating astrocytoma and ependymoma. J Neuropathol Exp Neurol 2005; 64: 10: 875-81.