Surgical management of high-grade gliomas.

High-grade gliomas, in particular anaplastic astrocytoma and glioblastoma multiforme, represent two of the most devastating forms of brain cancer. In spite of the poor prognosis, new treatments and emerging therapies are making an impact on this disease. This review discusses the role of the surgical management of high-grade gliomas and provides an overview of the currently available therapies which depend on surgical intervention.

Oligodendrogliomas: clinical significance of 1p and 19q chromosomal deletions.

Oligodendrogliomas are a distinct subgroup of brain tumors with a fairly favorable clinical prognosis. However, these tumor exhibit varying degrees of heterogeneity and their clinical behavior is therefore not always the same. For this reason, genetic markers have been developed to further guide the clinical treatment.

Immunotherapy for malignant glioma: current approaches and future directions.

Traditional therapies for the treatment of malignant glioma have failed to make appreciable gains regarding patient outcome in the last decade. Therefore, immunotherapeutic approaches have become increasingly popular in the treatment of this cancer. This article reviews general immunology of the central nervous system and the immunobiology of malignant glioma to provide a foundation for understanding the rationale behind current glioma immunotherapies.

Local delivery of interleukin-2 and adriamycin is synergistic in the treatment of experimental malignant glioma.

Introduction: Local delivery of adriamycin (ADR) via biodegradable polymers has been shown to improve survival in rats challenged intracranially with 9L gliosarcoma. Likewise, local delivery of interleukin-2 (IL-2) has been shown to extend survival in experimental brain tumor models. In the current study, we hypothesized that local delivery of ADR and IL-2 might act synergistically against experimental intracranial glioma.

Novel advances in drug delivery to brain cancer.

The therapy of brain tumors has been limited by a lack of effective methods of drug delivery to the brain. Systemic administration is often associated with toxic side effects and ultimately fails to achieve therapeutic concentrations within a tumor. An attractive strategy that has gained importance in brain tumor therapy has relied on local and controlled delivery of chemotherapeutic agents by biodegradable polymers.

Percival Bailey and the classification of brain tumors.

Throughout his illustrious career, Percival Bailey made numerous contributions to the fields of neurology, neuroanatomy, psychiatry, neuropathology, and, of course, neurosurgery. His expertise, his curiosity about the nervous system, and his desire to examine it from all angles were unique. With the exception of Harvey Cushing, Dr.

Dexamethasone mediated inhibition of local IL-2 immunotherapy is dose dependent in experimental brain tumors.

Local delivery of cytokines has been shown to have a potent anti-tumor activity against a wide range of malignant brain tumors. In this study, we examined the role of systemic immunosuppression using dexamethasone on the efficacy of local IL-2 immunotherapy in treating experimental murine CNS tumors. An endothelial cell line secreting hIL-2 (NTC-121) was injected intracranially in C57BL/6 mice (n = 10/ group) along with B16/F10 (wild type) melanoma cells.

Surgical outcome following resection of contrast-enhanced pediatric brainstem gliomas.

Background: The role of surgery in the management of gadolinium-enhancing pediatric brainstem lesions on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has been a matter of open debate. This clinical series correlates radiological and pathological findings to assess the role of contrast enhancement as an indication for surgery with respect to clinical outcome.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the charts of all pediatric patients admitted to the Johns Hopkins Hospital with a diagnosis of a brainstem tumor between January 1985 and December 2000.

Gene therapy for experimental brain tumors using a xenogenic cell line engineered to secrete hIL-2.

Local delivery of cytokines has been shown to have a potent anti-tumor activity against a wide range of malignant brain tumors. In this study, we examined the feasibility and efficacy of using a rat endothelial cell line (NTC-121) transfected with the human interleukin-2 (IL-2) gene in treating experimental murine CNS tumors. The NTC-121 cells were injected intracranially in C57BL/6 mice (N = 10/group) along with non-irradiated, non-transfected B16/F10 (wild type) melanoma cells.

Multicentric parenchymal xanthogranuloma in a child: case report and review of the literature.

Objective And Importance: Xanthogranulomas of the central nervous system are rare, and asymptomatic lesions are often identified in autopsies. We report the first case of a multicentric, cystic, intraparenchymal xanthogranuloma, involving both the supra- and infratentorial compartments, in a 16-month-old girl.

Clinical Presentation: The clinical presentation consisted of a focal motor seizure in an otherwise healthy infant.

Should the diagnosis of benign prostatic hyperplasia be made on prostate needle biopsy?

Pathologists frequently sign out benign prostate needle biopsies as "benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH)". There are no data indicating that a diagnosis of BPH on biopsy correlates with either gland weight or with the International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) used to measure urinary obstructive symptoms. We examined biopsies for average percentage of glands and average percentage of glands with papillary infolding per case, maximum percentage of glands and maximum percentage of glands with papillary infolding per core per case, and presence of any stromal nodules per case.