Melanotic ependymoma and subependymoma Journal Article


Authors: Rosenblum, M. K.; Erlandson, R. A.; Aleksic, S. N.; Budzilovich, G. N.
Article Title: Melanotic ependymoma and subependymoma
Abstract: We report two examples of melanin production by human gliomas. One was a grossly pigmented, well-differentiated ependymoma resected from the left frontoparietal region of a 13-year-old girl. The patient received radiotherapy and was free of tumor 12 years after operation. The second example was a pigmented subependymoma incidentally discovered at the autopsy of a 52-year-old man. Neoplastic cells containing an intracytoplasmic pigment satisfying histochemical criteria for melanin were present in both cases. Electron microscopic study of the melanotic ependymoma revealed electron-dense granules in the cytoplasm of cells forming rosettes. Premelanosomes were not detected. While the mechanism of melanogenesis in these cases is obscure, they support the potential of glial derivatives to produce melanin and indicate that melanogenesis in such neoplasms may have no adverse prognostic import.
Keywords: adolescent; adult; school child; human cell; histopathology; case report; glioma; brain neoplasms; microscopy, electron; melanin; histology; ependymoma; histocytochemistry; melanosis; middle age; melanins; human; male; female; priority journal; article; subependymoma
Journal Title: American Journal of Surgical Pathology
Volume: 14
Issue: 8
ISSN: 0147-5185
Publisher: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins  
Date Published: 1990-08-01
Start Page: 729
End Page: 736
Language: English
PUBMED: 2378394
PROVIDER: scopus
DOI/URL:
Notes: Article -- Source: Scopus
Citation Impact
MSK Authors
  1. Marc Rosenblum
    424 Rosenblum
  2. Robert A Erlandson
    125 Erlandson