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Rapid spontaneous malignant progression of supratentorial tanycytic ependymoma with sarcomatous features - "Ependymosarcoma"

Vajtai, Istvan and Kuhlen, Dominique and Kappeler, Andreas and Mariani, Luigi and Zimmermann, Arthur and Paulus, Werner. (2010) Rapid spontaneous malignant progression of supratentorial tanycytic ependymoma with sarcomatous features - "Ependymosarcoma". Pathology, research and practice, Vol. 206, H. 7. pp. 493-498.

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Official URL: http://edoc.unibas.ch/dok/A6006667

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Abstract

By analogy to gliosarcoma, the term "ependymosarcoma" has recently been coined to thematize the rare phenomenon of a malignant mesenchymal component arising within an ependymoma. We report on an example of this paradigm, involving tanycytic ependymoma as the host tumor in a 40-year-old female who underwent two tumor extirpation procedures at one-year interval. She first presented with severe headaches, and was seen by imaging to harbor a moderately enhancing mass 2.5cm in diameter at the rostral septum pellucidum accompanied by occlusive hydrocephalus. Microscopically, the tumor consisted of solid, wavy fascicles of elongated cells that were occasionally interrupted by vague perivascular pseudorosettes. Mitotic activity was absent, and less than 1% of nuclei immunoreacted for MIB-1. A histological diagnosis of tanycytic ependymoma (WHO grade II) was rendered, and no adjuvant therapy given. At recurrence, the lesion was 3.5cm in diameter, intensely enhancing, and had already seeded into the subarachnoid space. Histology showed a biphasic glial-sarcomatous architecture with remnants of the original ependymoma now displaying hypercellularity and atypical - yet not frankly anaplastic - features. The sarcomatous moiety consisted of spindle and epithelioid cells densely interwoven with reticulin fibers. While the ependymal component was GFAP and S100 protein positive, and featured punctate staining for EMA, none of these markers was expressed in the adjacent sarcoma. Instead, the latter reacted for vimentin and smooth muscle actin. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first documentation of tanycytic ependymoma undergoing malignant transformation, one driven by a highly anaplastic mesenchymal component, corresponding to "ependymosarcoma".
Faculties and Departments:03 Faculty of Medicine > Departement Biomedizin > Department of Biomedicine, University Hospital Basel > Brain Tumor Biology (Mariani)
UniBasel Contributors:Mariani, Luigi
Item Type:Article, refereed
Article Subtype:Research Article
Publisher:Fischer
ISSN:0344-0338
Note:Publication type according to Uni Basel Research Database: Journal article
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Last Modified:26 Apr 2013 07:03
Deposited On:26 Apr 2013 07:00

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