Neuropathology, cell biology, and newer diagnostic methods.
Recent publications emphasized the correlation between molecular events in brain tumors and clinical outcome. Alterations in tumor-suppressor genes, growth factors, and enzyme systems have been previously described in gliomas; the relationships between these various changes and tumor grade, growth rate, and response to therapy are subjects of current investigations. Loss of genetic heterozygosity on chromosomes 10 and 17p, amplification and rearrangement of the epidermal growth factor receptor gene, express ion of its protein product, and changes in chromosomes 9, 19, and the enzyme system protein kinase C are the specific molecular events that were compared. Changes in chromosome 22 were correlated with histologic features of meningioma. Various methods of measuring tumor cell proliferation (proliferating cell nuclear antigen, bromodeoxyuridine, Ki-67, nucleolar organizer regions, and DNA flow cytometry) are being compared with each other and correlated with clinical outcome in an attempt to validate these methods and to discover the most relevant one. More recently described tumor types continue to be characterized using standard techniques and some of these newer methods. Neurocytoma has been morphologically and immunochemically defined as a neuronal neoplasm, but determination of the full compass of its clinical behavior and position in the continuum of cerebral neuronal tumors awaits additional studies.
Department of Pathology, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston 77030.
J M
JM
Bruner
L A
LA
Langford
G N
GN
Fuller
D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology; D016543:Central Nervous System Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology; D005910:Glioma / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D008577:Meningeal Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology; D008579:Meningioma / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology; D009447:Neuroblastoma / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology