C72.9 - Malignant neoplasm of central nervous system, unspecified

Approximate Synonyms

The following clinical terms are approximate synonyms or lay terms that might be used to identify the correct diagnosis code:

• Anaplastic astrocytoma of central nervous system
• Anaplastic ependymoma of central nervous system
• Anaplastic ganglioglioma
• Anaplastic ganglioglioma of central nervous system
• Anaplastic oligoastrocytoma of central nervous system
• Anaplastic oligodendroglioma of central nervous system
• Angiocentric glioma of central nervous system
• Astroblastoma of central nervous system
• Embryonal neuroepithelial neoplasm of central nervous system
• Embryonal neuroepithelial neoplasm of central nervous system
• Embryonal neuroepithelial neoplasm of central nervous system
• Ependymoma of central nervous system
• Fibrillary astrocytoma of central nervous system
• Ganglioneuroblastoma
• Ganglioneuroblastoma of central nervous system
• Gemistocytic astrocytoma of central nervous system
• Germinoma of central nervous system
• Giant cell glioblastoma of central nervous system
• Glioblastoma multiforme of central nervous system
• Glioma
• Glioma of central nervous system
• Gliosarcoma of central nervous system
• Malignant glioma of central nervous system
• Malignant neoplasm of central nervous system
• Malignant neoplasm of nervous system
• Medulloepithelioma
• Medulloepithelioma of central nervous system
• Melanoma and neural system tumor syndrome
• Mixed germ cell neoplasm of central nervous system
• Mixed germ cell tumor
• Mixed glioma
• Neuroblastoma
• Neuroblastoma of central nervous system
• Nongerminomatous germ cell tumor of central nervous system
• Oligodendroglioma
• Overlapping malignant neoplasm of brain and other parts of the central nervous system
• Pilomyxoid astrocytoma
• Primary malignant astrocytoma of central nervous system
• Primary malignant neoplasm of central nervous system
• Primary malignant neoplasm of nervous system
• Primary primitive neuroectodermal neoplasm of central nervous system
• Primitive neuroectodermal tumor

Clinical Information

• Ganglioneuroblastoma-. a moderately malignant neoplasm composed of primitive neuroectodermal cells dispersed in myxomatous or fibrous stroma intermixed with mature ganglion cells. it may undergo transformation into a neuroblastoma. it arises from the sympathetic trunk or less frequently from the adrenal medulla, cerebral cortex, and other locations. cervical ganglioneuroblastomas may be associated with horner syndrome and the tumor may occasionally secrete vasoactive intestinal peptide, resulting in chronic diarrhea.
• Astrocytoma-. neoplasms of the brain and spinal cord derived from glial cells which vary from histologically benign forms to highly anaplastic and malignant tumors. fibrillary astrocytomas are the most common type and may be classified in order of increasing malignancy (grades i through iv). in the first two decades of life, astrocytomas tend to originate in the cerebellar hemispheres; in adults, they most frequently arise in the cerebrum and frequently undergo malignant transformation. (from devita et al., cancer: principles and practice of oncology, 5th ed, pp2013-7; holland et al., cancer medicine, 3d ed, p1082)
• Glioma-. benign and malignant central nervous system neoplasms derived from glial cells (i.e., astrocytes, oligodendrocytes, and ependymocytes). astrocytes may give rise to astrocytomas (astrocytoma) or glioblastoma multiforme (see glioblastoma). oligodendrocytes give rise to oligodendrogliomas (oligodendroglioma) and ependymocytes may undergo transformation to become ependymoma; choroid plexus neoplasms; or colloid cysts of the third ventricle. (from escourolle et al., manual of basic neuropathology, 2nd ed, p21)
• Glioma, Subependymal-. rare, slow-growing, benign intraventricular tumors, often asymptomatic and discovered incidentally. the tumors are classified histologically as ependymomas and demonstrate a proliferation of subependymal fibrillary astrocytes among the ependymal tumor cells. (from clin neurol neurosurg 1997 feb;99(1):17-22)
• Gliosarcoma-. rare mixed tumors of the brain and rarely the spinal cord which contain malignant neuroectodermal (glial) and mesenchymal components, including spindle-shaped fibrosarcoma cells. these tumors are highly aggressive and present primarily in adults as rapidly expanding mass lesions. they may arise in tissue that has been previously irradiated. (from br j neurosurg 1995 apr;9(2):171-8)
• Neoplasms, Neuroepithelial-. neoplasms composed of neuroepithelial cells, which have the capacity to differentiate into neurons, oligodendrocytes, and astrocytes. the majority of craniospinal tumors are of neuroepithelial origin. (from dev biol 1998 aug 1;200(1):1-5)
• Optic Nerve Glioma-. glial cell derived tumors arising from the optic nerve, usually presenting in childhood.
• Retinoblastoma-. a malignant tumor arising from the nuclear layer of the retina that is the most common primary tumor of the eye in children. the tumor tends to occur in early childhood or infancy and may be present at birth. the majority are sporadic, but the condition may be transmitted as an autosomal dominant trait. histologic features include dense cellularity, small round polygonal cells, and areas of calcification and necrosis. an abnormal pupil reflex (leukokoria); nystagmus, pathologic; strabismus; and visual loss represent common clinical characteristics of this condition. (from devita et al., cancer: principles and practice of oncology, 5th ed, p2104)
• Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A-. the original member of the family of endothelial cell growth factors referred to as vascular endothelial growth factors. vascular endothelial growth factor-a was originally isolated from tumor cells and referred to as "tumor angiogenesis factor" and "vascular permeability factor". although expressed at high levels in certain tumor-derived cells it is produced by a wide variety of cell types. in addition to stimulating vascular growth and vascular permeability it may play a role in stimulating vasodilation via nitric oxide-dependent pathways. alternative splicing of the mrna for vascular endothelial growth factor a results in several isoforms of the protein being produced.
• Zinc Finger Protein GLI1-. a transcriptional activator and oncogene protein that contains two cys2-his2 zinc fingers. two isoforms are expressed; both regulate the expression of specific genes during development of craniofacial features, digits, the central nervous system; and the gastrointestinal tract. they also regulate sonic hedgehog protein signaling and cell proliferation.
• Zinc Finger Protein Gli3-. a zinc finger transcription factor that contains five cys2-his2 zinc fingers and binds to the gli consensus sequence 5'-gggtggtc-3'. the full-length protein functions as a transcriptional activator whereas the truncated c-terminal form functions as a transcriptional repressor of the sonic hedgehog (shh) signaling pathway; a balance between these two forms is critical for limb and digit development. gli3 also plays a critical role in the differentiation and proliferation of chondrocytes.
• Esthesioneuroblastoma, Olfactory-. a malignant olfactory neuroblastoma arising from the olfactory epithelium of the superior nasal cavity and cribriform plate. it is uncommon (3% of nasal tumors) and rarely is associated with the production of excess hormones (e.g., siadh, cushing syndrome). it has a high propensity for multiple local recurrences and bony metastases. (from holland et al., cancer medicine, 3rd ed, p1245; j laryngol otol 1998 jul;112(7):628-33)
• Neuroblastoma-. a common neoplasm of early childhood arising from neural crest cells in the sympathetic nervous system, and characterized by diverse clinical behavior, ranging from spontaneous remission to rapid metastatic progression and death. this tumor is the most common intraabdominal malignancy of childhood, but it may also arise from thorax, neck, or rarely occur in the central nervous system. histologic features include uniform round cells with hyperchromatic nuclei arranged in nests and separated by fibrovascular septa. neuroblastomas may be associated with the opsoclonus-myoclonus syndrome. (from devita et al., cancer: principles and practice of oncology, 5th ed, pp2099-2101; curr opin oncol 1998 jan;10(1):43-51)
• Oligodendroglioma-. a relatively slow-growing glioma that is derived from oligodendrocytes and tends to occur in the cerebral hemispheres, thalamus, or lateral ventricle. they may present at any age, but are most frequent in the third to fifth decades, with an earlier incidence peak in the first decade. histologically, these tumors are encapsulated, relatively avascular, and tend to form cysts and microcalcifications. neoplastic cells tend to have small round nuclei surrounded by unstained nuclei. the tumors may vary from well-differentiated to highly anaplastic forms. (from devita et al., cancer: principles and practice of oncology, 5th ed, p2052; adams et al., principles of neurology, 6th ed, p655)
• Horner Syndrome-. a syndrome associated with defective sympathetic innervation to one side of the face, including the eye. clinical features include miosis; mild blepharoptosis; and hemifacial anhidrosis (decreased sweating)(see hypohidrosis). lesions of the brain stem; cervical spinal cord; first thoracic nerve root; apex of the lung; carotid artery; cavernous sinus; and apex of the orbit may cause this condition. (from miller et al., clinical neuro-ophthalmology, 4th ed, pp500-11)

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