Cerebral and spinal cord tanycytic ependymomas in a young adult with a mutation in the NF2 gene. Issue 4 (10th March 2014)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Kuga, Yoshihiro; Ohnishi, Hideki; Kodama, Yuji; Takakura, Shuji; Hayashi, Masato; Yagi, Ryokichi; Fukutome, Kenji; Matsushima, Ken; Okamoto, Kouichirou; Taomoto, Katsushi; Takahashi, Hitoshi
• Is Part Of: Neuropathology. Volume 34:Issue 4(2014)
• Page Start: 406
• Page End: 413
• Publication Date: 2014-03-10
• Subjects: Nervous system -- Diseases -- Periodicals; Nervous system -- Pathophysiology -- Periodicals; 616.8047
• DOI: 10.1111/neup.12109
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0919-6544

Abstract

<abstract abstract-type="main"> <title> <x xml:space="preserve">Abstract</x> </title> <p>We studied one frontal lobe tumor and multiple spinal cord tumors (one in an extramedullary location) that had been resected from a 24‐year‐old man. The frontal lobe tumor was well demarcated and non‐infiltrating, and consisted of eosinophilic, elongated fibrillary cells arranged in a fascicular pattern. A similar histology was reproduced in the spinal cord tumors, with additional areas showing standard features of ependymoma. Immunohistochemical and ultrastructural observations revealed that all the tumors were ependymal in nature with positivity for GFAP and epithelial membrane antigen and negativity for oligodendrocyte transcription factor 2, showing intra‐ and intercellular microrosettes, leading us to a diagnosis of tanycytic ependymoma for the frontal lobe tumor and tanycytic ependymoma with ordinary ependymomatous component for the spinal cord tumors. The spinal extramedullary tumor was a schwannoma. Importantly, a heterozygous truncating mutation in the <italic>NF2</italic> gene was identified in the blood lymphocytes from the patient. It is known that multiple nervous system tumors can occur in neurofibromatosis type 2 (NF2), which is caused by mutation in the <italic>NF2</italic> gene, and that occurrence of ependymoma, including the tanycytic variant, can be associated with this genetic condition. The present case provides further information about the clinicopathology of tanycytic ependymoma with details of the immunohistochemical, ultrastructural and genetic features.</p> </abstract>