Atypical Teratoid Rhabdoid Tumor: Two Case Reports and an Analysis of Adult Cases with Implications for Pathophysiology and Treatment.

We present the first quantitative analysis of atypical teratoid rhabdoid tumors (ATRT) in adults, including two patients from our own institutions. These are of interest as one occurred during pregnancy and one is a long-term survivor. Our review of pathological findings of 50 reported cases of adult ATRT leads us to propose a solely ectodermal origin for the tumor and that epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a defining feature.

Comprehensive, Integrative Genomic Analysis of Diffuse Lower-Grade Gliomas.

Background: Diffuse low-grade and intermediate-grade gliomas (which together make up the lower-grade gliomas, World Health Organization grades II and III) have highly variable clinical behavior that is not adequately predicted on the basis of histologic class. Some are indolent; others quickly progress to glioblastoma. The uncertainty is compounded by interobserver variability in histologic diagnosis.

SLC7A11 expression is associated with seizures and predicts poor survival in patients with malignant glioma.

Glioma is the most common malignant primary brain tumor. Its rapid growth is aided by tumor-mediated glutamate release, creating peritumoral excitotoxic cell death and vacating space for tumor expansion. Glioma glutamate release may also be responsible for seizures, which complicate the clinical course for many patients and are often the presenting symptom.

Reciprocal activation of transcription factors underlies the dichotomy between proliferation and invasion of glioma cells.

Histology of malignant glioma depicts dense proliferative areas rich in angiogenesis as well as dissemination of neoplastic cells into adjacent brain tissue. Although the mechanisms that trigger transition from proliferative to invasive phenotypes are complex, the dichotomy of cell proliferation and migration, the "Go or Grow" hypothesis, argues for specific and coordinated regulation of these phenotypes. We investigated transcriptional elements that accompany the phenotypes of migration and proliferation, and consider the therapeutic significance of the "Go or Grow" hypothesis.