pathology
Last reviewed 07/2021
Histological classification of pineal tumours:
- teratomas with well differentiated tissues - mostly in males, and formed from a variety of cell types such as bone, muscle, cartilage and dermis. They are often well demarcated. Poorly differentiated, malignant types may occur.
- geminomas - malignant and resembles seminomas of the testes. May spread to the floor or anterior wall of the third ventricle and seed the CSF to the spinal cord or cauda equina.
- pineocytomas and pinealblastomas - these are rare tumours of true pineal origin. They account for less than 20% of pineal tumours. The pineocytoma is a well differentiated and slow growing tumour; the pinealblastoma, poorly differentiated and rapidly growing.
- gliomas - both astrocytomas arising from cells within the pineal gland or from adjacent brain, and ependymomas, arising from cells lining the third ventricle, occur.
- meningiomas, dermoid and epidermoid cysts occur rarely