Brain Tumour Types

In this section we have included information on the most common grade III (3) and grade IV (4) brain tumours . Brain tumours are graded using the World Health Organisation (WHO) system.

WHO (WORLD HEALTH ORGANISATION) GRADING SYSTEM

GRADE I Brain Tumour

Malignant

GRADE II TUMOUR
● relatively slow growing cells
● slightly abnormal appearance under a microscope
● can invade adjacent normal tissue
● can recur as a higher grade Tumor

GRADE III TUMOUR
● actively reproducing abnormal cells
● abnormal appearance under a microscope
● infiltrate adjacent normal brain tissue
● tumor tends to recur, often at higher grade

GRADE IV TUMOUR
● abnormal cells which reproduce rapidly
● very abnormal appearance under a microscope
● form new blood vessels to maintain rapid growth
● areas of dead cells in center

Tumours that begin in brain tissue are known as primary tumours of the brain. Primary brain tumors are named according to the type of cells or the part of the brain in which they begin.

Table 2 WHO Grading of Tumours of the Central Nervous System.

Reprinted from Louis DN, Ohgaki H, Wiestler OD, Cavenee WK (eds) (2007) WHO Classification of tumours of the central nervous system. IARC, Lyon

Below is a list of the most common WHO Grade III and Grade IV primary brain tumours:

1. Astrocytic Tumours:

• ANAPLASTIC ASTROCYTOMA III

• GLIOBLASTOMA MULTIFORME (GBM) IV
  

2. Oligodendroglial Tumours:

• ANAPLASTIC OLIGODENDROGLIOMA III
  

3. Mixed Gliomas

• ANAPLASTIC OLIGOASTROCYTOMA III
  

4. Ependymal Tumours

• ANAPLASTIC EPENDYMOMA III
  

5. Neuroepithelial tumours of uncertain origin:

• GLIOMATOSIS CEREBRI III
  

6. Neuronal and mixed neuronal- Glial tumours

• ANAPLASTIC GANGLIOGLIOMA III (Rare)
  

7. Embryonal tumours:

• EPENDYMOBLASTOMA IV
  
• MEDULLOBLASTOMA IV
  
• PNET (PRIMITIVE NEUROECTODERMAL TUMOUR) IV
  

8. choroid plexus tumours:

• CHOROID PLEXUS CARCINOMA III
  

9. Pineal parenchymal tumours

• PINEOBLASTOMA IV

10. Meningeal Tumours

• ANAPLASTIC MENINGIOMA III
• HEMANGIOPERICYTOMA III

Cancer that spreads to the brain from another part of the body is different from a primary brain tumor. When cancer cells spread to the brain from another organ (such as the lung or breast), doctors may call the tumor in the brain a secondary tumour or metastatic tumour. Secondary tumors in the brain are far more common than primary brain tumors. For more information on metastatic tumours click the link below:

METASTATIC BRAIN TUMOUR

This page was last modified on 02 June 2009 at 08:27