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Oligoastrocytoma other diagnostic studies

Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Sujit Routray, M.D. [2]

Overview

Other diagnostic studies for oligoastrocytoma include biopsy (“star-shaped” astrocytes with ovoid nucleus and homogeneous, compact oligodendrocytes with distinct borders, round nucleus, and clear cytoplasm surrounding a dense central nucleus and perinuclear halo, giving it the characteristic “fried egg” appearance) and fluorescent in-situ hybridization (FISH) technique (deletions of chromosome 1p and 19q).

Other Diagnostic Studies

Biopsy

  • Biopsy may be performed to help confirm the diagnosis of oligoastrocytoma.[1]
  • On biopsy, oligoastrocytoma is characterized by “star-shaped” astrocytes with ovoid nucleus and homogeneous, compact oligodendrocytes with distinct borders, round nucleus, and clear cytoplasm surrounding a dense central nucleus and perinuclear halo, giving it the characteristic “fried egg” appearance.
  • Biopsy may be done at the time of surgical resection of oligoastrocytoma.
  • Biopsy may be of two types: open and stereotactic.
  • Indications for open biopsy and stereotactic biopsy are described below:[2]
Type of biopsy Indications

Open biopsy

  • Surgically resectable masses
  • Lesions in accessible and relatively “silent” areas of the brain or in areas of the brain with a mild postoperative neurologic deficit
  • Appearance consistent with tumor on the MRI
  • Large tumors exerting mass effect

Stereotactic biopsy

  • Deep-seated tumor that is not amenable to resection
  • Lesions in which the radiological and clinical findings are ambiguous
  • Diffuse or multiple lesions
  • Appearance that suggests a lymphoma, which would not require resection
  • Change in the appearance of a previously diagnosed or treated tumor
  • Assessment of tumor after treatment (to distinguish between radiation necrosis and tumor recurrence)

Fluorescent in-situ hybridization (FISH) technique

References

  1. Diagnosis of oligoastrocytoma. Wikipedia 2015. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oligoastrocytoma. Accessed on October 20, 2015
  2. Eskandar EN, Loeffler JS, O’Neill AM, Hunter GJ, Louis DN (2004). “Case records of the Massachusetts General Hospital. Weekly clinicopathological exercises. Case 33-2004. A 34-year-old man with a seizure and a frontal-lobe brain lesion”. N Engl J Med. 351 (18): 1875–82. doi:10.1056/NEJMcpc049025. PMID 15509821.
  3. Mueller W, Hartmann C, Hoffmann A, Lanksch W, Kiwit J, Tonn J; et al. (2002). “Genetic signature of oligoastrocytomas correlates with tumor location and denotes distinct molecular subsets”. Am J Pathol. 161 (1): 313–9. doi:10.1016/S0002-9440(10)64183-1. PMC 1850690. PMID 12107116.
  4. Ersen, Ayca (2008), Pathology of malignant gliomas: Challenges of everyday practice and the WHO 2007, Turkish Journal of Pathology, retrieved 20 October, 2015 Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  5. Smith JS, Perry A, Borell TJ, Lee HK, O’Fallon J, Hosek SM; et al. (2000). “Alterations of chromosome arms 1p and 19q as predictors of survival in oligodendrogliomas, astrocytomas, and mixed oligoastrocytomas”. J Clin Oncol. 18 (3): 636–45. PMID 10653879.


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