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Optic nerve and disc

Glioma-optic nerve

Author: Nat Pernick, M.D.

Last author update: 1 February 2014

Last staff update: 18 May 2022

Copyright: 2004-2024, PathologyOutlines.com, Inc.

PubMed Search: Glioma optic nerve

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Table of Contents

Cite this page: Pernick N. Glioma-optic nerve. PathologyOutlines.com website. https://www.pathologyoutlines.com/topic/eyeorbitgliomaoptic.html. Accessed May 7th, 2024.

Definition / general

Relatively rare
Slow growing tumor within orbital segment of optic nerve
Usually ages 0 - 9 years with symptoms of minimal exophthalmos, optic nerve atrophy or papilledema
Associated with neurofibromatosis type 1

Radiology description

Thickening of nerve on CT scan
May enlarge optic canal

Radiology images

AFIP images

MR of large retrobulbar optic nerve tumor

Treatment

Resection for tumors limited to optic nerve
Also radiation therapy for more extensive lesions

Gross description

Small tumors are limited to optic nerve
Larger tumors form bulbous enlargement of nerve, often infiltrate pia causing arachnoid thickening

Microscopic (histologic) description

Variable cytology and cellularity, even within same tumor, but usually are low grade pilocytic astrocytomas similar to cerebellar and third ventricle tumors with round to spindled nuclei and dendrite-like cytoplasmic processes
Often Rosenthal fibers (fusiform, cigar shaped eosinophilic structures within astrocyte cytoplasmic processes, are a nonspecific degenerative change)
Rarely are hypercellular with brisk mitotic activity, marked pleomorphism, necrosis and vascular proliferation
Difficult to differentiate reactive vs. neoplastic resection margins
Typically has intense mucinous degeneration with tumor cells in pools of mucin
Infiltrating tumor may cause reactive proliferation of arachnoid cells resembling meningioma

Microscopic (histologic) images

AFIP images