Hemangiopericytomas in the central nervous system

Hemangiopericytomas, which are more aggressive than meningiomas, are rare in the central nervous system (CNS). We analyzed the clinical, radiological and histological features and treatment of 26 patients with hemangiopericytomas in the CNS. The ratio of male to female patients was 1:1. Most tumors were located in the parasagittal and falx regions. The tumors were dense or mixed as assessed by CT scans, and most were homogeneously enhanced. Most tumors were isointense on T1-weighted MRI, and high or mixed intensity on T2-weighted MRI; they were homogeneously or heterogeneously enhanced. Histological examination indicated numerous small vascular spaces in the tumor. All tumors were immunohistochemically positive for vimentin. All patients were treated with surgery, and some of them underwent subsequent radiotherapy. The recurrence rate for hemangiopericytoma in this study was high. Our observations suggest that the biological behavior of hemangiopericytoma differs markedly from that of meningioma. Surgical removal and post-operative radiotherapy are thus critical for the treatment of this tumor.