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Brain Stem Glioma

 

 

 

Location and Patterns of Spread

The brain stem is generally described as involving three neural structures:

The pons encompasses both the cerebellar peduncles and the floor of the 4th ventricle.

The pons is the most common site of brain stem gliomas (80% of all brain stem gliomas arise in the pons).

10-15% of tumors arise in the medulla, and even fewer arise from the midbrain (5-10%). 

 

Tumor Location & Frequency:

Tumour Location Frequency
Pons 80%
Medulla 10 - 15%
Mid Brain 5 - 10%

 

Staging

  • There is no widely accepted staging system for brain stem gliomas. 
  • It is very uncommon for these tumors to spread outside of the brain stem at the time of initial diagnosis.  Diffusely infiltrative brain stem gliomas can occasionally be associated with neuraxis dissemination.

 

  

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