Hereditary tumor syndromes of the nervous system: overview and rare syndromes

Hereditary tumor syndromes of the nervous system are a varied group of conditions that include neurofibromatosis 1, neurofibromatosis 2, tuberous sclerosis, and von Hippel-Lindau disease, as well as the retinoblastoma susceptibility, Li-Fraumeni, familial glioma, Turcot, Gorlin, Cowden and multiple endocrine neoplasia syndromes. For many of these conditions, the responsible genes have been localized or identified. Such studies have elucidated the genetic basis of both hereditary cancer predisposition and sporadic nervous system tumors. The first four hereditary tumors syndromes have been extensively studied and are discussed in detail in the four subsequent articles. The other syndromes have also been subject to both pathological and molecular genetic inquiries. In this introductory overview, we discuss the features common to the hereditary tumor syndromes of the nervous system, and review some of the rarer conditions.