Abstract
Objective. To demonstrate that DNTs include a large morphological spectrum of tumors that cannot be histologically distinguished from conventional categories of gliomas.
Methods. All tumors from patients who underwent epilepsy surgery in Sainte-Anne hospital (Paris) that histologically resembled gliomas and did not conform to current histological criteria for DNTs or gangliogliomas were entered in the study.
Results. According to the WHO histological classification, the 40 tumors resembled: pilocytic astrocytomas (4 cases), astrocytomas (16 cases), anaplastic astrocytoma (1 case), oligodendrogliomas (10 cases), oligo-astrocytomas (8 cases) or anaplastic oligo-astrocytomas (1 case). However foci of cortical dysplasia could be observed in 47% of the cases. Clinical presentation and imaging features were strikingly similar to that observed in typical DNTs. Although surgical removal was incomplete in 28% of the cases and none of the patients underwent chemo or radiotherapy, none of the tumors recurred (mean follow-up: 7 years). Moreover, serial preoperative imaging in 26 patients (mean follow-up: 4.5 years) demonstrated that these lesions were perfectly stable.
Conclusions. Whatever the histological appearance of a glial tumor, the diagnosis of DNT must be considered when all the following criteria are associated: (1) partial seizures, with or without secondary generalization, beginning before the age 20 years, (2) no neurological deficit or stable congenital deficit, (3) cortical topography of the lesion as better demonstrated by MRI and (4) no mass effect on imaging.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Daumas-Duport C: Dysembryoplastic neuroepithelial tumours. Brain Pathol 3: 283–295, 1993
Daumas-Duport C, Scheithauer BW, Chodkiewicz JP, Laws ER, Vedrenne C: Dysembryoplasic neuroepithelial tumor: a surgically curable tumor of young patients with intractable partial seizure. Report of thirty-nine cases. Neurosurgery 23: 545–556, 1988
Daumas-Duport C: Patterns of tumor growth and problems associated with histological typing of low-grade gliomas. In: Apuzzo LJ (ed): Benign Cerebral Gliomas. Park Ridge, AANS, 1995, vol. 1, pp 125–147
Kleihues P, Burger PC, Scheithauer BW: Histological Typing of Tumours of the Central Nervous System. 2nd ed., Springer-Verlag: Berlin, Heidelberg, New York 1993, p 23
Kleihues P, Burger PC, Scheithauer BW: The newWHOclassification of brain tumours. Brain Pathol 3: 255–268, 1993
Talairach J, Bancaud J: Stereotaxic exploration and therapy in epilepsy. In: Viken PJ, Bruyn GW (eds): The Epilepsies. Handbook of Clinical Neurology. North Holland, Amsterdam, 1974, pp 758–782
Engel J, Van Ness PC, Rasmussen TB, Ojemann LM: Outcome with respect to epileptic seizures. In: Engel Jr, J (ed). Surgical Treatment of the Epilepsies, Raven Press, NewYork, 1993, pp 609–621
Daumas-Duport C: Dysembryoplastic neuroepithelial tumours in epilepsy surgery, In: Guerrini R (ed): Dysplasia of Cerebral Cortex and Epilepsy, 2nd ed., Raven Press, New York, 1995, pp 125–147
Lemesle M, Borsotti JP, Justrabo E, Giroud M, Dumas R: Tumeurs dysembryoplasiques neuroépithéliales. Rev Neurol 152: 451–457, 1996
Prayson RA, Estes ML: Dysembryoplastic neuroepithelial tumor. Am J Clin Pathol 97: 398–401, 1992
Raymond AA, Halpin SFS, Alsanjari N, Cook MJ, Kitchen ND, Fisch DR, Stevens JM, Harding BN, Scaravilli F, Kendall B, Shorvon SD, Neville BGR: Dysembryoplastic neuroepithelial tumour. Features in 16 patients. Brain 117: 461–475, 1994
Vali AM, Clarke MA, Kelsey A: Dysembryoplastic neuroepithelial tumor as a potentially treatable cause of intractable epilepsy in children. Clin Radiol 47: 255–258, 1993
Wolf HK, Wellmer J, Muller MB, Wiestler OD, Hufnagel A, Piestch T: Glioneuronal malformative lesions and dysembryoplastic neuroepithelial tumors in patients with chronic pharmacoresistantepilepsies. J Neuropathol Exp Neurol 54: 245–254, 1995
Koeller KK, Dillon WP: Dysembryoplastic neuroepithelial tumors: MR appearance. AJNR 13: 1319–1325, 1992
Kuroiwa T, Bergey GK, Rothman ML, Zoarski GH, Wolf A, Zagardo MT, Kristt DA, Hudson LP, Krumholz A, Barry E, Numaguchi Y: Radiologic appearance of the dysembryoplastic neuroepithelial tumor. Radiology 197: 233–238, 1995
Leung SY, Gwi E, Ng HK, Fung CF, Yam KY: Dysembryoplastic neuroepithelial tumor. A tumor with small neuronal cells resembling oligodendroglioma. Am J Surg Pathol 18: 604–614, 1994
Ostertun B, Wolf HK, Campos MG, Matus C, Solymosi L, Elger CE, Schramm J, Schild HH: Dysembryoplastic neuroepithelial tumors: MR and CT evaluation. AJNR 17: 419–430, 1996
Pasquier B, Bost F, Peoc'h M, Barnad R, Pasquier D: Données neuropathologiques dans l'épilepsie partielle pharmacor ésistante. Ann Pathol 16: 174–181, 1996
Taratuto AL, Pomata H, Sevlever G, Gallo G, Monges J: Dysembryoplastic neuroepithelial tumor: morphological, immunocytochemical and deoxyribonucleic acid analyses in a pediatric series. Neurosurgery 36: 474–481, 1995
Wolf HK, Wiestler OD: Surgical pathology of chronic epileptic seizure disorders. Brain Pathol 3: 371–380, 1993
Kuroïwa T, Kishikawa T, Kato A, Ueno M, Kudo S, Tabuchi K: Dysembryoplastic neuroepithelial tumors: MR findings. J Comput Assist Tomogr 18: 352–356, 1994
Hirose T, Scheithauer BW, Lopes MBS, Vanden Berg SR: Dysembryoplastic neuroepithelial tumor (DNT): an immunohistochemical and ultrastructural study. J Neuropathol Exp Neurol 53: 184–195, 1994
Prayson RA, Estes ML, Morris HH: Coexistence of neoplasia and cortical dysplasia in patients presenting with seizures. Epilepsia 34: 609–615, 1993
Wolf HK, Campos MGJ, Zentner J, Hufnagel A, Schramm J, Elger CE, Wiestler OD: Surgical pathology of temporal lobe epilepsy. Experience with 216 cases. J Neuropathol Exp Neurol 52: 499–506, 1993
Haddad SF, Moore SA, Menezes AH, Van Gilder JC: Ganglioglioma: 13 years of experience. Neurosurgery 31: 171–178, 1992
Lang FF, Epstein FJ, Ransohoff J, Allen JC, Wisoff J, Abbott JR, Miller DC: Central nervous system gangliogliomas. Clinical outcome. J Neurosurg 79: 867–873, 1993
Prayson RA, Khajavi K, Comair YG: Cortical architectural abnormalities and MIB1 immunoreactivity in gangliogliomas: a study of 60 patients with intracranial tumors. J Neuropathol Exp Neurol 54: 513–520, 1995 280
Cervera-Pierot P, Varlet P, Chodkiewicz JP, Daumas-Duport C: Dysembryoplastic neuroepithelial tumors in the caudate nucleus area. Neurosurgery 40: 1065–1070, 1997
Kuchelmeister K, Demirel T, Schl¨orer E, Bergmann M, Gullotta F: Dysembryoplastic neuroepithelial tumour of the cerebellum. Acta Neuropathol 89: 385–390, 1995
Kirkpatrick PJ, Honavar M, Janota I, Polkey CE: Control of temporal lobe epilepsy following en bloc resection of lowgrade tumors. J Neurosurg78: 19–25, 1993
Fried I, Kim J, Spencer DD: Limbic and Neocortical Gliomas associated with intratable seizures: a distinct clinicopathological group. Neurosurgery 34: 815–823, 1994
Jay V, Becker LE, Otsubo H, Hwang PA, Hoffman HJ, Harwood-Nash D: Pathology of temporal lobectomy for refractory seizures in children. Review of 20 cases including some unique malformative lesions. J Neurosurg 79: 53–61, 1993
Morris HH, Estes ML, Gilmore R, Van-Ness PC, Barnett GH, Turnbull J: Chronic intractable epilepsy as the only symptom of primary brain tumor. Epilepsia 34: 1038–1043, 1993
Raymond AA, Fish DR, Sisodiya SM, Alsanjari N, Stevens JM, Shorvon SD: Abnormalities of gyration, heterotopias, tuberous sclerosis, focal cortical dysplasia, microdysgenesis, dysembryoplastic neuroepithelial tumour and dysgenesis of the archicortex in epilepsy. Clinical, EEG and neuroimaging features in 100 adult patients. Brain 118: 629–660, 1995
Cascino GD: Epilepsy and brain tumors: implications for treatment. Epilepsia 31: S37–S44, 1990
Piepmeier JM, Christopher S, Spencer D, Byrne T, Kim J, Knisel J, Lacy J, Tsukerman L, Makuch R: Variations in the natural history and survival of patients with supratentorial low-grade astrocytomas. Neurosurgery 38: 872–879, 1996
Gilles FH, Sobel EL, Tavare CJ, Leviton A, Hedley-Whyte ET: Age-related changes in diagnoses, histological features and survival in children with brain tumors: 1930–1979. Neurosurgery 37: 1056–1068, 1995
Helseth A: The incidence of primary central nervous system neoplasms before and after computerized tomography availability. J Neurosurg 83: 999–1003, 1995
Burger PC: The “ideal” classification of pediatric central nervous system neoplasms. Cancer56: 1865–1868, 1985
Gilles FH, Sobel EL, Leviton A, Hedley-Whyte ET, Tavare CJ, Adelman LS, Sobel RA: Temporal trends among childhood brain tumour biopsies. J Neuro-Oncol13: 137–149, 1992
Rorke LB: Classification and grading of childhood brain tumours. Overview and statement of the problem. Cancer 56: 1848–1849, 1985
Rorke LB, Gilles FH, Davis RL, Becker LE: Revision of the World Health Organization classification of brain tumors for childhood brain tumors. Cancer 56: 1869–1886, 1985
Duffner PK, Cohen ME, Myers MH, Heise HW: Survival of children with brain tumors: SEER program, 1973–1980. Neurology 36: 597–601, 1986
Marchese MJ, Chang CH: Malignant astrocytic gliomas in children. Cancer 65: 2771–2778, 1990
Geyer JR, Finlay JL, Boyet JM, Wisoff J, Yates A, Mao L, Packer RJ: Survival of infants with malignant astrocytomes. A report from the childrens cancer group. Cancer 75: 1045–1050, 1995
Westergaard L, Gjerris F, Kunken L: Prognostic parameters in benign astrocytomas. Acta Neurochir 123: 1–7, 1993
Tice H, Barnes PD, Goumnerova L, Scott RM, Tarbell NJ: Pediatric and adolescent oligodendrogliomas. AJNR 14: 1293–1300, 1993
Hirsch JF, Sainte Rose C, Pierre-Kahn A, Pfister A, Hoppe-Hirsch E: Benign astrocytic and oligodendrocytic tumors of the cerebral hemispheres in children. J Neurosurg 70: 568–572, 1989
Vinters HV, Amstrong DL, Babb DL, Daumas-Duport C, Robitaille Y, Bruton CJ, Farell MA: The neuropathology of human symptomatic epilepsy, In: Engel Jr(ed) Surgical treatment of the epilepsies, 2nd ed., Raven press, NewYork, 1993, pp 593–608
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Daumas-Duport, C., Varlet, P., Bacha, S. et al. Dysembryoplastic Neuroepithelial Tumors: Nonspecific Histological Forms – A Study of 40 Cases. J Neurooncol 41, 267–280 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1006193018140
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1006193018140