The objectives of this study were to determine the epidemiology of brain tumors during infancy and childhood and to define and segregate childhood brain tumors vis-a-vis their morphological characteristics. The present study includes pediatric brain tumors, ICD-10 category C71 encountered during 10 years (January 1989 through December 1998) at a tertiary care hospital in Karachi. Eighty one cas...

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) has been used for treatment of various intraocular tumors including choroidal hemangioma, vasoproliferative tumor, amelanotic choroidal melanoma and choroidal neovascular membrane due to choroidal osteoma. This case report documents the effect of PDT for a presumed acquired retinal astrocytoma. A 42-year-old female with a juxtapapillary acquired astrocytoma was treate...

Rosette-forming glioneuronal tumor (WHO grade I) is a rare neoplasm primarily arising in young adults that is characterized by distinctive neurocytic rosette formation, a spindled glial component resembling pilocytic astrocytoma, and a high incidence of PIK3CA mutation. Low-grade diffuse astrocytoma (WHO grade II), on the other hand, is far more common and is characterized by a high incidence o...

  Cellular estrogen receptors in cryostat sections of human glioma tissue were determined in 34 patients by a histochemical method with 17β-estradiol-6-carboxymethyl oxime-bovine serum albumin-fluorescein isothiocyanate conjugate. Estrogen receptor protein was found in all cases of glioblastoma multiforme (7), anaplastic astrocytoma (5), benign astrocytoma (7), pilocytic astrocytoma (...

Pilomyxoid astrocytoma (PMA) is a recently described neoplasm. PMA shares few features with pilocytic astrocytoma (PA), the most common central nervous system (CNS) tumor in the pediatric population, yet displays histological differences. Previous studies have shown that PMAs have more aggressive biological behavior as compared to PA. These findings suggest that PMA may be a unique and distinct...

We describe a case of spinal leptomeningeal metastases of an astrocytoma of the conus medullaris that presented with quadriplegia. The patient was a 50-year-old woman with a previously treated astrocytoma of the conus medullaris and a spinal cord metastasis at the Th2-L level. Four years after the initial treatment, the patient developed weakness of the upper extremities with a decreased muscul...

Pilomyxoid astrocytoma (PMA) is a recently defined pediatric brain tumor; PMAs were previously classified within the pilocytic astrocytoma (PA) category. Nevertheless, PMA has different histological features and has been shown to behave more aggressively than PA. These findings indicate that PMA may be a unique entity that is distinct from PA, or it may be an unusual variant. To increase awaren...

We report a case of a non-infantile primary intramedullary spinal cord desmoplastic astrocytoma in an 18-year-old girl who presented with spastic paraparesis. The patient had been unable to run for 1 year. Magnetic resonance imaging of her spine showed an intramedullary solid and cystic heterogeneously enhancing lesion located at T7-T8 level. Partial excision was performed. Histology revealed a...

Pilocytic astrocytoma is a rare glioma, seen predominantly in pediatric population and young adults, within first two decades of life. This often located deep midline structures such as brainstem cerebellum. In this tumor occurs supratentorial location. It frequently misdiagnosed mistreated. However, being low-grade with excellent prognosis, if diagnosed correctly, it can be successfully treate...