[Immunopathology of brain tumors]

The various classifications of brain tumors are characterized by a rather disturbing diversity of tumor designations. This diversity results from the heterogeneity of human brain tumors, but also from the lack of knowledge about the histogenesis of many of these tumors. The histogenesis of some of the different types of tumor could be resolved by the application of electron microscopical studies. New aspects are gained from immunohistochemical investigations using mono- and polyclonal antibodies against intermediate filaments (GFAP, vimentin, cytokeratins), neuron-specific enolase (NSE), protein S-100, carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), myelin-associated glycoprotein (Leu 7), synaptophysin and nuclear proliferating antigen (Ki-67). The present paper gives a survey on how immunohistochemistry can be advantageously used in the diagnosis of brain tumors.