Case of the month: August 1998 - 45 year old man with headache and ataxia - Pineocytoma with neuronal differentiation (WHO grade II)

A 45-year-old man presented with a two year history of headache, ataxia, an d impairment of balance. Neuroradiological studies showed an enhancing, hyp erintense lesion of the pineal region measuring 3.0 cm in diameter, The tum or was resected and on histological and immunohistochemical examination pro ved to be a pineocytoma with neuronal differentiation. Despite their highly pleomorphic cytology, such tumors have a low proliferation activity and ma y have a better prognosis than pineocytomas in general.