We evaluated whether cell-free circulating DNA can be used as a noninvasive approach for detection of genetic/epigenetic alterations in brain tumors during the course of the disease. Paired tumor-serum samples from 70 patients with either high-grade astrocytomas (n = 41) or oligodendrogliomas of various grades were analyzed. The median interval between surgery and serum sampling was 1 month (ra...

The c-mos gene and its protein product mos, components of the mitogen-activated protein kinase transduction pathway, are known to be involved in the control of meiosis and mitosis. Apart from our previous studies on lung carcinomas and astrocytic gliomas, little has been published about its role in human neoplasia. The aim of this study was to investigate the expression of mos in ependymal neop...

We report five cases of tumors occurring in three children and in two adults. The tumors had unusual histomorphology and a mixture of ependymal and piloid-like astrocytic features and a myxoid stroma similar to myxopapillary ependymomas. MR imaging in three of the cases showed aggressive, intensely enhancing partially cystic hypothalamic-suprasellar masses near midline and near the floor of the...

Desmoplastic infantile gangliogliomas are very rarely encountered, large supratentorial masses, derived from neuroepithelial origin, which have cystic and solid components and contain cells with astrocytic and ganglionic differentiation. These tumors are benign tumors of childhood that become symptomatic when they reach giant sizes. Sixty cases of desmoplastic ganglioglioma have been reported t...

A small population of TSCs, which form neurospheres and possess the capacity for self-renewal, has been recently identified in adult and pediatric brain tumors. They differentiate into phenotypically diverse populations, including neuronal, astrocytic, and oligodendroglial cells in vitro and recapitulate original tumors in vivo. The understanding of brain TSCs has been greatly advanced by the k...