Search
gliomatosis cerebri
Diffuse neoplastic glial infiltration involving two or more cerebral lobes.
Epidemiology:
- age range neonate to 83 years
- peak 40 - 50 years
Pathology:
- diffuse growth pattern
- type I: diffuse growth and enlargement of involved structures; no clear tumor formation
- type II: presence of obvious mass (usually with malignant features) in addition to diffuse pattern
- malignant lesion corresponding to WHO grade III
- poor prognosis
Microscopic pathology:
- may appear as low grade astrocytic neoplasm
- elongated glial cells resembling astrocytes, sometimes in parallel rows
- sometimes more obviously astrocytic/gemistocytic
- nuclei oval or fusiform, hyperchromatic
- mitoses variable
- microvascular proliferation usually absent
General
glial neoplasm (glioma)
References
- WHO Classification Tumours of the Nervous System.
Kleihues & Cavenee eds. IARC Press 2000