Pineal embryonal carcinoma
Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Sujit Routray, M.D. [2]
Synonyms and keywords:
Overview
- Pineal embryonal carcinoma is a relatively rare malignant neoplasm and accounts for a small prportion of all intracranial germ cell tumors. It is an aggressive tumor and has a propensity to metastasise systemically. A component of embryonal carcinoma is often found in mixed germ-cell tumours, in which case it usually the most aggressive component, and dictates prognosis. Pure pineal embryonal carcinoma tumors do not secrete β-HCG or AFP.[1]
- On microscopic histopathological analysis, pineal embryonal carcinoma is characterized by:[2]
- Poorly differentiated, pleomorphic cells in cords, sheets, or papillary formation
- Indistinct cell borders
- Nucleoli - key feature
- Vesicular nuclei (clear, empty appearing nuclei) - key feature
- Necrosis - common
- Mitoses - common
- Variable architecture:
- Solid (predominant in ~55% of cases)
- Glandular (predominant in ~17% of cases)
- Papillary (predominant in ~11% of cases)
- Nested
- Micropapillary
- Anastomosing glandular
- Sieve-like glandular
- Pseudopapillary
- Blastocyst-like
- Embryoid bodies - ball of cells in surrounded by empty space on three sides
- Pineal embryonal carcinoma is demonstrated by positivity to tumor markers such as:[3]
- Pineal embryonal carcinoma must be differentiated from:
- Pineocytoma
- Pineal parenchymal tumor with intermediate differentiation
- Papillary tumor of the pineal region
- Pineoblastoma
- Pineal germinoma
- Pineal choriocarcinoma
- Pineal yolk sac carcinoma (endodermal sinus tumor)
- Pineal teratoma
- Pineal cyst
- Astrocytoma of the pineal gland
- Meningioma near pineal gland
- Pineal metastasis
- Cavernoma in pineal region
- Aneurysm in pineal region
References
- ↑ Intracranial embryonal carcinoma. Frank Gaillard et al. Radiopaedia 2015. http://radiopaedia.org/articles/intracranial-embryonal-carcinoma. Accessed on December 4, 2015
- ↑ Microscopic features of embryonal carcinoma. Libre Pathology 2015. http://librepathology.org/wiki/index.php/Embryonal_carcinoma. Accessed on December 4, 2015
- ↑ IHC features of embryonal carcinoma. Libre Pathology 2015. http://librepathology.org/wiki/index.php/Embryonal_carcinoma. Accessed on December 4, 2015