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Astrocytes in brain tumours. Differentiation or trapping?
1Department of Pathology, General Hospital Gregorio Marañón, Madrid, Spain.
Histology and Histopathology
|April 1, 1994
Summary
Astrocytes in brain tumors are often mature cells from the invaded tissue, not true tumor cells. This finding impacts the understanding of gliomas and neuroectodermal tumors.
Area of Science:
- Neuro-oncology
- Cellular pathology
- Neurosurgery
Background:
- Astrocytes are considered highly differentiated cells found in various gliomas.
- Their presence is significant in the context of primitive neuroectodermal tumors (PNET).
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the origin and nature of astrocytes observed in brain tumors.
- To differentiate between neoplastic astrocytes and reactive astrocytes in tumor microenvironments.
Main Methods:
- Comparative analysis of astrocyte morphology using silver impregnation and Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein (GFAP) immunohistochemistry.
- Study of two series of brain tumors, totaling 89 cases (silver impregnation) and 127 cases (GFAP).
Main Results:
- Astrocytes exhibited consistent morphology across different tumor types (gliomas, meningiomas, metastases, lymphomas) and surrounding CNS parenchyma.
- Many observed astrocytes displayed mature, involutive features, coexisting with tumor cells without transitional forms.
- Astrocyte presence correlated with peritumoral gliosis, high proliferation rates, and infiltrating tumor growth.
Conclusions:
- The majority of astrocytes in brain tumors likely originate from the invaded central nervous system (CNS) tissue.
- These astrocytes represent reactive gliosis rather than true neoplastic cells.
- This distinction is crucial for accurate tumor classification and understanding tumor biology.