Pathology of intracranial neoplasms

This article discusses the gross and microscopic pathology of intracranial neoplasms. Primary intracranial neoplasms include tumors of the brain parenchyma; meninges; and rest of mesenchymal, epithelial, and germ cell derivation. The concept of tumor malignancy for primary central nervous system (CNS) neoplasms is somewhat different from that for systemic tumors. Although the capacity to metastasize is a defining feature of systemic malignancies and metastasis to the brain is a relatively common occurrence, primary CNS neoplasms rarely metastasize outside the CNS.