title: A case of undifferentiated glioma in a 70-year-old woman.
abstract: The present case involved a 70-year-old woman who was diagnosed with a right cerebral hemorrhage. Excisional surgery of the hematoma was performed. Grossly, a whitish, solid tumor (1 x 1 x 0.8 cm in size) was recognized in the hematoma. Histologically, the tumor was composed of large, polygonal cells and small undifferentiated cells in a jumbled architectural arrangement with a cartilage component. The large, polygonal cell component was conspicuous and somewhat rhabdoid in appearance and appeared to be an astrocytic tumor showing glial differentiation. The small, undifferentiated cell component resembled tumor cells of a primitive neuroectodermal tumor (PNET). Clinical follow-up of the patient for 2 months after the first operation revealed recurrence with rapid growth. A second operation was performed, but the patient died 8 months after the first operation (2 months after the second). Immunohistochemically, the tumor cells suggesting glial differentiation were positive for glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), S-100, neuron-specific enolase (NSE), and vimentin. PNET-like components in the primary tumor were positive for NSE, GFAP, and S-100, and weakly positive for vimentin and synaptophysin. Each tumor cell was negative for epithelial membrane antigen (EMA), keratin, desmin, actin, myoglobin, neurofilament (NF), and MIC2 protein. The recurrent tumor revealed predominantly PNET-like components; however, only a few tumor cells were positive for GFAP. This appearance suggested that this brain tumor might originate from a common multipotential stem cell. Considering its histopathological and immunohistochemical characteristics, the primary tumor was finally regarded as an undifferentiated glioma with dedifferentiation of the glial component in the recurrent tumor.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Yokosuka Municipal Hospital, Kanagawa, Japan.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Takekawa
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Umezawa
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ueno
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sawada
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kobayashi
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000378:metabolism; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D005910:Glioma / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D018242:Neuroectodermal Tumors, Primitive / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor