Medulloblastoma is a highly malignant primary brain tumor that originates in the cerebellum or posterior fossa.
Previously, medulloblastomas were thought to represent a subset of primitive neuroectodermal tumor (PNET) of the posterior fossa. However, gene expression profiling has shown that medulloblastomas have a distinct molecular profile and are distinct from other PNET tumors.
Tumors that originate in the cerebellum are referred to as infrate...
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Medulloblastoma is a highly malignant primary brain tumor that originates in the cerebellum or posterior fossa.
Previously, medulloblastomas were thought to represent a subset of primitive neuroectodermal tumor (PNET) of the posterior fossa. However, gene expression profiling has shown that medulloblastomas have a distinct molecular profile and are distinct from other PNET tumors.
Tumors that originate in the cerebellum are referred to as infratentorial because they occur below the tentorium, a thick membrane that separates the cerebral hemispheres of the brain from the cerebellum. Another term for medulloblastoma is infratentorial PNET. Medulloblastoma is the most common PNET originating in the brain.
All PNET tumors of the brain are invasive and rapidly growing tumors that, unlike most brain tumors, spread through the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and frequently metastasize to different locations in the brain and spine.
Brain tumors are the second most common malignancy among people...
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