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Isolation and Flow Cytometric Analysis of Glioma-infiltrating Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells
Published on: November 28, 2015
Secondary glioblastoma with advanced neuronal immunophenotype
Junji Shibahara1, Masashi Fukayama
1Department of Pathology, Graduate School of Medicine, University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, 113-0033 Tokyo, Japan. jshiba-tky@umin.ac.jp
Virchows Archiv : an International Journal of Pathology
|June 22, 2005
Summary
An unusual astrocytoma transformed into glioblastoma with neuronal features. This rare progression highlights the complex behavior of brain tumors and potential new classifications for glioneuronal tumors.
Area of Science:
- Neuro-oncology
- Cancer biology
- Pathology
Background:
- Astrocytoma is a common primary brain tumor.
- Glioblastoma is a highly aggressive form of astrocytoma.
- Understanding tumor progression is crucial for treatment.
Observation:
- A case of astrocytoma progressing to glioblastoma over 8 years.
- The secondary glioblastoma displayed a predominantly neuronal immunophenotype.
- Tumor cells expressed neuronal markers (synaptophysin, NeuN) but lacked glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP).
Findings:
- The secondary tumor was small cell-predominant and highly proliferative (MIB-1 index 80%).
- Retrospective analysis revealed rare neuronal marker expression in the original astrocytoma.
- This suggests a rare malignant transformation with neuronal differentiation.
Implications:
- This case challenges current classifications of brain tumors.
- It may represent a new variant of malignant glioneuronal tumors.
- Further research into glial-to-neuronal tumor transformation is warranted.
