Intracytoplasmic chromophobe inclusion bodies in an anaplastic meningioma

Intracytoplasmic inclusion bodies are rarely found in meningiomas. A 74-year-old woman had an anaplastic meningioma with intracytoplasmic chromophobe inclusion bodies (CIB) histologically. These CIB were various shapes, e.g. round, teardrop-like, fusiform, horse-shoe-like, crescentic and perinuclear. The size of CIB ranged from 7 to 14 microns and the nuclei of the tumor cells with CIB were often eccentric. Most CIB were immunopositive only for vimentin, staining more intensely than surrounding cytoplasm in a comparative study using adjacent sections stained with hematoxylin-eosin and vimentin. CIB showed loosely textured filamentous structures which were in parallel and entangled arrangements ultrastructurally. The diameter of the filaments was 13-14 nm and they were thicker than normal intermediate filaments. Moreover, these filaments appeared to be studded with granular and fuzzy substances. These findings suggest that CIB are mainly composed of abnormally synthesized and arranged vimentin filaments.