chordoid glioma of the third ventricle

Epidemiology

• rare slow growing tumor of the third ventricle (no reports of other sites)
• adults (age range 30 - 70 years, mean 46 years)
• 3:1 female predominance

Microscopic pathology

• clusters & cords of epitheliod GFAP + cells
• variabley mucinous stroma with lymphoplasmacytic infiltrate
• mitoses absent or rare
• little tendency for microscopic infiltration of surrounding brain
• reactive astrocytes, Rosenthal fibers, chronic inflammation in adjacent non-neoplastic tissues

Immunophenotype

• GFAP +
• vimentin +
• S100 variably
• EMA focal
• EGFR +
• schwannomin +
• MIB-1 labelling low

Differential diagnosis

• pituitary adenoma
• craniopharyngioma
• pilocytic astrocytoma
• meningioma (chordoid)

Notes

provisional WHO grade II

More general terms

• glial neoplasm (glioma)