title: Malignant transformation of a spinal cord ganglioglioma--case report and review of the literature.
abstract: Gangliogliomas are tumors of mixed glial and neuronal phenotype that usually have a benign clinical course. Rare cases display anaplastic features at the time of first presentation or progress to anaplastic gliomas over extended times. We report on a ganglioglioma of the spinal cord that recurred as a malignant glioma one and a half years after resection. The initial neoplasm was composed of a mixture of well-differentiated ganglionic and astrocytic cells. The recurrent tumor was an anaplastic small-cell glioma. The sole unusual aspect in the initial neoplasm was an abundance of small vessels with calcified walls, which mimicked a vascular malformation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Neuropathology Unit, University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland.
authors.forename: P L
authors.initials: PL
authors.lastname: Di Patre
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Payer
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Brunea
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Delavelle
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: De Tribolet
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Pizzolato
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002471:Cell Transformation, Neoplastic / Q000473:pathology*; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D018303:Ganglioglioma / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D013120:Spinal Cord Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*