Brain Tumors

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BRAIN TUMOR DR SAKHER AL-KHADERI CONSULTANT RADIOLOGIST AMC

Transcript of Brain Tumors

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BRAIN TUMOR

DR SAKHER AL-KHADERICONSULTANT RADIOLOGIST AMC

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INTRODUCTION

Most brain tumors are of low signal intensity on T1WI and high on T2WI.Therefore high signal intensity on T1WI or low signal on T2WI can be an important clue to the diagnosis.Finally we have to consider the possibility that we are dealing with a lesion that simulates a tumor - like an abscess, MS-plaque, vascular malformation, aneurysm or an infarct with luxury perfusion.

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• Roughly one-third of CNS tumors are metastatic lesions, one third are gliomas and one-third is of non-glial origin.Glioma is a non-specific term indicating that the tumor originates from glial cells like astrocytes, oligodendrocytes, ependymal and choroid plexus cells.Astrocytoma is the most common glioma and can be subdivided into the low-grade pilocytic type, the intermediate anaplastic type and the high grade malignant glioblastoma multiforme (GBM).

Incidence of CNS tumors

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Age distribution

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• Intra- versus Extraaxial• When we study an intracranial mass, the first

thing we want to know is whether the mass lies in- or outside of the brain.

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• Although cancer is rare in children, brain tumors are the most common type of childhood cancer after leukemia and lymphoma.Most of the tumors in children are located infratentorially.The most common supra- and infratentorial tumors are listed in the table on the left.

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Schawonnoma

• This case nicely demonstrates the typical signs of an extra-axial tumor.There is a CSF cleft (yellow arrow).The subarachnoid vessels that run on the surface of the brain are displaced by the lesion (blue arrow). There is gray matter between the lesion and the white matter (curved red arrow). The subarachnoid space is widened because growth of an extra-axial lesion tends to push away the brain. All these signs indicate that this is a typical extra-axial tumor.In the region of the CPA 90% of

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• Another sign of an extra-axial origin is a broad dural base or a dural tail of enhancement as is typically seen in meningiomas. This may also occur in other extra-axial tumors, but it is less common. Another sign of an extra-axial origin are bony changes. Bony changes are seen in bone tumors like chordomas, chondrosarcomas and metastases. They can also be secondary, as is seen in meningiomas and other tumors.

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Melanoma metastasis

• intra-axial tumor There is gray matter on the anteromedial and posteromedial side of the lesion (red arrow). This indicates that the lesion is intra-axial. If the lesion was extra-axial the gray matter should have been pushed away. This proved to be a melanoma metastasis.

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Some tumors show subarachnoid seeding and form tumoral nodules along the brain and spinal cord. This is seen in PNET, ependymomas, GBMs, lymphomas, oligodendrogliomas and choroid plexus papillomas.Primitive neuroectodermal tumours (PNET) form a rare group of tumors, which develop from primitive or undifferentiated nerve cells. These include medulloblastomas and pineoblastomas.

Subarachnoid seeding

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EXTENT OF TUMOR

• Only by studying all the images we do appreciate that the actual extent of the tumor is greater than expected. The tumor is situated in the pterygopalatine fossa and extends into the orbit. It also spreads anteriorly into the middle cranial fossa

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•Another important consideration is the effect on the surrounding structures. Primary brain tumors are derived from brain cells and often have less mass effect for their size than you would expect, due to their infiltrative growth. This is not the case with metastases and extra-axial tumors like meningiomas or schwannomas, which have more mass effect due to their expansive growth.

Local tumor spread

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Midline crossing

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The ability of tumors to cross the midline limits the differential diagnosis.Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) frequently crosses the midline by infiltrating the white matter tracts of the corpus callosum.Radiation necrosis can look like recurrent GBM and can sometimes cross the midline.Meningioma is an extra-axial tumor and can spread along the meninges to the contralateral side.Lymphoma is usually located near the midline.Epidermoid cysts can cross the midline via the subarachnoid space.MS can also present as a mass lesion in the corpus callosum.

Midline crossing

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• Multiple tumors in the brain usually indicate metastatic disease (figure).Primary brain tumors are typically seen in a single region, but some brain tumors like lymphomas, multicentric glioblastomas and gliomatosis cerebri can be multifocal.Some tumors can be multifocal as a result of seeding metastases: this can occur in medulloblastomas (PNET-MB), ependymomas, GBMs and oligodendrogliomas.

Multifocal disease

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• Cortical based tumors• Most intra-axial tumors are located in the white matter.

Some tumors, however, spread to or are located in the gray matter.The differential diagnosis for these cortical based tumors includes oligodendroglioma, ganglioglioma and Dysembryoplastic Neuroepithial Tumor (DNET). A DNET is a rare benign neoplasm, usually in a cortical and temporal location.Patients with a cortically based tumor usually present with complex seizures.

• These cortically based tumors have to be differentiated from non-tumorous lesions like cerebritis, herpes simplex encephalitis, infarction and post-ictal changes.

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GANGLIOGLIOMA

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• The CT shows a mass with calcifications, which extends all the way to the cortex. Although this is a large tumor there is only limited mass effect on surrounding structures, which indicates that this is an infiltrating tumor. The most likely diagnosis is oligodendroglioma. The differential diagnosis includes a malignant astrocytoma or a glioblastoma.

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• Fat has a low density on CT (- 100HU). On MR, fat has a high signal intensity on both T1- and T2WI.

• Fat within a tumor is seen in lipomas, dermoid cysts and teratomas.On the left a patient with the classical findings of a ruptured dermoid cyst.

Some tumors can have a high density on CT. This is typically seen in lymphoma, colloid cyst and PNET-MB (medulloblastoma).

Fat - Calcification - Cyst - High density

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OLIGODENDROGLIOMA

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CALCIFIED MENINGIOMA

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Cystic versus Solid

• There are many cystic lesions that can simulate a CNS tumor. These include epidermoid, dermoid, arachnoid, neuroenteric and neuroglial cysts.In order to determine whether a lesion is a cyst or cystic mass look for the following characteristics:

• Morphology• Fluid/fluid level• Content usually isointense to CSF on T1, T2 and FLAIR• DWI: restricted diffusion•

An arachnoid cyst is isointense to CSF on all sequences. Tumor necrosis may sometimes look like a cyst, but it is never completely isointense to CSF.

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• Case 1 : pit apoplexy. The high signal is due to hemorrhage in a pituitary macroadenoma.

• Case 2 :middle has a glioblastoma multiforme, which caused a hemorrhage in the splenium of the corpus callosum.

• Case 3 :On the right is a patient with a metastasis of a melanoma. The high signal intensity is due to the melanin content.

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Tumors with low SI on T2

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• Normally water protons have the ability to diffuse extracellularly and loose signal. High intensity on DWI indicates restriction of the ability of water protons to diffuse extracellularly. Restricted diffusion is seen in abscesses, epidermoid cysts and acute infarction (due to cytotoxic edema).

• In cerebral abscesses the diffusion is probably restricted due to the viscosity of pus, resulting in a high signal on DWI.In most tumors there is no restricted diffusion - even in necrotic or cystic components. This results in a normal, low signal on DWI.

Diffusion weighted imaging

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EPIDERMOID CYST

Diffusion weighted imaging

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Blood brain barrierThe brain has a unique triple layered blood-brain barrier (BBB) with tight endothelial junctions in order to maintain a consistent internal milieu. Contrast will not leak into the brain unless this barrier is damaged. Enhancement is seen when a CNS tumor destroys the BBB.

Extra-axial tumors such as meningiomas and schwannomas are not derived from brain cells and do not have a blood-brain barrier. Therefore they will enhance. There is also no blood-brain barrier in the pituitary, pineal and choroid plexus regions.Some non-tumoral lesions enhance because they can also break down the BBB and may simulate a brain tumor. These lesions include like infections, demyelinating diseases (MS) and infarctions.

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CONTRAST ENHANCEMENT

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In gliomas - like astrocytomas, oligodendrogliomas and glioblastoma multiforme - enhancement usually indicates a higher degree of malignancy. Therefore when during the follow up of a low-grade glioma the tumor starts to enhance, it is a sign of malignant transformation..Gangliogliomas and pilocytic astrocytomas are the exceptions to this rule: they are low-grade tumors, but they enhance vividly.As discussed above, it recently has been shown that tumor angiogenesis as shown by perfusion MR correlates better with tumor grade than enhancement after the administration of intravenous contrast.

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CONTRAST ENHANCEMENT

• The amount of enhancement depends on the amount of contrast that is delivered to the interstitium.In general, the longer we wait, the better the interstitial enhancement will be. The optimal timing is about 30 minutes and it is better to give contrast at the start of the examination and to do the enhanced T1WI at the end.

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NO ENHANCEMENT • No enhancement is seen in:• Low grade astrocytomas• Cystic non-tumoral lesions:

– Dermoid cyst– Epidermoid cyst– Arachnoid cyst

•On the left is an image of an intra-axial tumor in an adult.It is centered in the temporal lobe and involves the cortex.Although there is massive infiltrative growth involving a large part of the right cerebral hemisphere, there is only minimal mass effect.There is no enhancement.These features are typical for a low-grade astrocytoma.

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HOMOGENOUS EHHANCEMENT • Homogeneous

enhancement can be seen in:

• Metastases• Lymphoma• Germinoma and other

pineal gland tumors• Pituitary macroadenoma• Pilocytic astrocytoma and

hemangioblastoma (only the solid component)

• Ganglioglioma• Meningioma and

Schwannoma

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PATCHY ENHANCEMENT • Patchy enhancement can be seen

in:• Metastases• Oligodendroglioma• Glioblastoma multiforme• Radiation necrosis•

case of glioblastoma multiforme (GBM). The enhancement indicates that this is a high-grade tumor, but only parts of it enhance. Notice that there is also a cystic component with ring enhancement.The tumor cells probably extend beyond the area of edema as seen on the FLAIR image. This is because gliomas grow infiltratively into normal brain - initially without any MR changes.

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• Patchy enhancement • On the left are images of a tumor

located in the right hemisphere. Although is a large tumor, the mass-effect is limited. This indicates that there is marked infiltrative growth, a characteristic typical for gliomas. Notice the heterogeneity on both T2WI and FLAIR. There is patchy enhancement. All these findings are typical for a GBM. Virtually no other tumor behaves in this way.

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RING ENHANCEMENT

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• Case : tumor located in the 3rd ventricle.The tumor contains calcifications.The diagnosis is a giant cell astrocytoma.

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• 4th ventricle• In children tumors in the 4th ventricle

are very common.Astrocytomas are the most common followed by medulloblastomas (or PNET-MB), ependymomas and brainstem gliomas with a dorsal exophytic component.

• In adults tumors in the 4th ventricle are uncommon.Metastases are most frequently seen, followed by hemangioblastomas, choroid plexus papillomas and dermoid and epidermoid cysts.

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TUMOR MIMICS

• Many non-tumorous lesions can mimic a brain tumor.Abscesses can mimic metastases.Multiple sclerosis can present with a mass-like lesion with enhancement, also known as tumefactive multiple sclerosis..In the parasellar region one should always consider the possibility of a aneurysm.

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THE END