Classification of Brain Neuroepithelial Tumors WHO

Classification of Brain Tumors of Neuroepithelial Origin WHO

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Neuroepithelial Tumors of the CNS

  1. Astrocytic tumors [glial tumors–categories I-V, below–may also be subclassified as invasive or non-invasive, although this is not formally part of the WHO system, the non-invasive tumor types are indicated below. Categories in italics are also not recognized by the new WHO classification system, but are in common use.]
    1. Astrocytoma (WHO grade II)
      1. variants: protoplasmic, gemistocytic, fibrillary, mixed
    2. Anaplastic (malignant) astrocytoma (WHO grade III)
      1. hemispheric
      2. diencephalic
      3. optic
      4. brain stem
      5. cerebellar
    3. Glioblastoma multiforme (WHO grade IV)
      1. variants: giant cell glioblastoma, gliosarcoma
    4. Pilocytic astrocytoma [non-invasive, WHO grade I]
      1. hemispheric
      2. diencephalic
      3. optic
      4. brain stem
      5. cerebellar
    5. Subependymal giant cell astrocytoma [non-invasive, WHO grade I]
    6. Pleomorphic xanthoastrocytoma [non-invasive, WHO grade I]
  2. Oligodendroglial tumors
    1. Oligodendroglioma (WHO grade II)
    2. Anaplastic (malignant) oligodendroglioma (WHO grade III)
  3. Ependymal cell tumors
    1. Ependymoma (WHO grade II)
      1. variants: cellular, papillary, epithelial, clear cell, mixed
    2. Anaplastic ependymoma (WHO grade III)
    3. Myxopapillary ependymoma
    4. Subependymoma (WHO grade I)
  4. Mixed gliomas
    1. Mixed oligoastrocytoma (WHO grade II)
    2. Anaplastic (malignant) oligoastrocytoma (WHO grade III)
    3. Others (e.g. ependymo-astrocytomas)
  5. Neuroepithelial tumors of uncertain origin
    1. Polar spongioblastoma (WHO grade IV)
    2. Astroblastoma (WHO grade IV)
    3. Gliomatosis cerebri (WHO grade IV)
  6. Tumors of the choroid plexus
    1. Choroid plexus papilloma
    2. Choroid plexus carcinoma (anaplastic choroid plexus papilloma)
  7. Neuronal and mixed neuronal-glial tumors
    1. Gangliocytoma
    2. Dysplastic gangliocytoma of cerebellum (Lhermitte-Duclos)
    3. Ganglioglioma
    4. Anaplastic (malignant) ganglioglioma
    5. Desmoplastic infantile ganglioglioma
      1. desmoplastic infantile astrocytoma
    6. Central neurocytoma
    7. Dysembryoplastic neuroepithelial tumor
    8. Olfactory neuroblastoma (esthesioneuroblastoma)
      1. variant: olfactory neuroepithelioma
  8. Pineal Parenchyma Tumors
    1. Pineocytoma
    2. Pineoblastoma
    3. Mixed pineocytoma/pineoblastoma
  9. Tumors with neuroblastic or glioblastic elements (embryonal tumors)
    1. Medulloepithelioma
    2. Primitive neuroectodermal tumors with multipotent differentiation
      1. medulloblastoma
        1. variants: medullomyoblastoma, melanocytic medulloblastoma, desmoplastic medulloblastoma
      2. cerebral primitive neuroectodermal tumor
    3. Neuroblastoma
      1. variant: ganglioneuroblastoma
    4. Retinoblastoma
    5. Ependymoblastoma

References

Neurosurgery MGH

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