title: Gliofibroma: Report of Four Cases and Review of the Literature.
abstract: Gliofibroma is a relatively rare variant of a mixed glial-fibrous tumor more frequent in children than in adults. It has been reported to appear all along the neuraxis, with predilection for the midline. Its evolution is usually benign, although few examples have shown either multiple sites of involvement or leptomeningeal dissemination. Some authors regard it as part of the desmoplastic astrocytoma spectrum. We report here four examples of this rare condition which exemplify its histological patterns and biological behavior, and provide a review of the literature. Even though this tumor is commonly regarded as heterogeneous and with variable course, our literature review points to a set of clinical and pathological traits that are constant, such as age, location and gross and histological characteristics, as well as a predictable evolution. Currently, this tumor is not included in the WHO Classification of CNS tumors.
authors.affiliation: a Neuropathology, Children's Hospital Sor María Ludovica , La Plata , Argentina.
authors.forename: Marta Celina
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Jones
authors.affiliation: b Oncology, Children's Hospital Sor María Ludovica , La Plata , Argentina.
authors.forename: Verónica
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Díaz
authors.affiliation: c Neurosurgery, Children's Hospital Sor María Ludovica , La Plata , Argentina.
authors.forename: Marcelo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: D'Agustini
authors.affiliation: d Pathology, Children's Hospital Sor María Ludovica , La Plata , Argentina.
authors.forename: Eugenia
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Altamirano
authors.affiliation: a Neuropathology, Children's Hospital Sor María Ludovica , La Plata , Argentina.
authors.forename: Natalia
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Baglieri
authors.affiliation: e Pathology Department "A", School of Medicine, National University of La Plata , La Plata , Argentina.
authors.forename: Ricardo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Drut
mesh_terms: D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D005350:Fibroma / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D009457:Neuroglia / Q000166:cytology*; D011379:Prognosis; D013120:Spinal Cord Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology
keywords: brain tumor; desmoplastic astrocytoma; gliofibroma; spinal cord tumor