Hundreds of viruses exhibit tropism for the central (CNS) and/or peripheral (PNS) nervous systems. In the case of some viruses, involvement of the CNS or PNS is the predominant feature of illness, whereas in others involvement of the nervous system…
Epidemiology and Current Trends Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) was first recognized in the United States in the summer of 1981 when unexplained occurrences of Pneumocystis jirovecii (formerly carinii ) pneumonia and Kaposi sarcoma were reported in cohorts of previously healthy…
Brain Metastases Epidemiology Parenchymal brain metastases (BMs) are the most common direct neurological complication of systemic cancer. BMs are the most common intracranial tumor in adults, with 200,000–300,000 diagnosed annually in the United States ( ). In comparison, there are…
Pediatric Primary Nervous System Tumors Primary brain tumors account for nearly 20% of all malignancies during childhood and adolescence worldwide, with an age-standardized incidence rate of 28.2 per million persons ( ; ). These tumors are second only to leukemia…
In the year 2019, approximately 86,970 cases of primary nervous system tumors are expected to occur in the United States ( ). The World Health Organization (WHO) distinguishes between six groups of neoplasms. Meningeal tumors (mostly meningioma) and neuroepithelial tumors…
Clinical Features of Brain Tumors Overview of Symptoms Patients with both primary and metastatic brain tumors can present with a variety of clinical symptoms and neurological signs. These manifestations are not specific for individual tumor subtypes or brain tumors, and…
Acknowledgments Michael Jansen, Arie Perry, Reid R. Heffner, Jr., and David N. Louis were authors of this chapter in the previous edition. General Principles of Nervous System Tumor Biology Tumors of the nervous system, like other human neoplasms, are dysregulated…
Primary brain tumors are a diverse group of neoplasms arising from different cells of the central nervous system (CNS), including neuroepithelial tissue, the meninges, and cranial and spinal nerves. Within each of these cell types, tumors can exhibit distinct pathological…
Central nervous system vasculitis (CNSV), alternatively termed primary angiitis of the central nervous system (PACNS) or granulomatous angiitis of the central nervous system, is a rare diagnosis with an estimated incidence rate of 2.4 cases per 1 million person years…
The spinal cord is subject to many of the same vascular diseases that involve the brain, but its unique anatomy and embryology render it susceptible to some syndromes that do not have intracranial counterparts. Although some vascular myelopathic processes have…