Review of the Recent Changes in the WHO Classification for Pediatric Brain and Spinal Cord Tumors.

Background: Periodic updates to the World Health Organization (WHO) classification system for central nervous system (CNS) tumors reflect advances in the pathological diagnosis, categorization, and molecular underpinnings of primary brain, spinal cord, and peripheral nerve tumors. The 5th edition of the WHO Classification of CNS Tumors was published in 2021. This review discusses the guiding principles of the revision, introduces the more common new diagnostic entities, and describes tumor classification and nomenclature changes that are relevant for pediatric neurological surgeons.

Neurological emergency from rare spinal metalloma: Case report and literature review.

Metallosis is a rare and poorly understood long-term complication of instrumented surgery that can result in an inflammatory pseudotumor termed metalloma. We describe a particularly unique case and compare it to 6 analogous cases identified by PubMed and/or Medline search through July 2020. A 79-year-old male with multiple prior spinal lumbar fusion procedures presented with progressive weakness and pain.

Applications of molecular neuro-oncology - a review of diffuse glioma integrated diagnosis and emerging molecular entities.

Insights into the molecular underpinnings of primary central nervous system tumors have radically changed the approach to tumor diagnosis and classification. Diagnostic emphasis has shifted from the morphology of a tumor under the microscope to an integrated approach based on morphologic and molecular features, including gene mutations, chromosomal copy number alterations, and gene rearrangements. In 2016, the World Health Organization provided guidelines for making an integrated diagnosis that incorporates both morphologic and molecular features in a subset of brain tumors.