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Rosenthal fibers producing a granular cell appearance in a glioblastoma

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Summary

In this report we describe a glioblastoma multiforme with focal granular cell change. In most astroglial tumors with granular cells, the granular appearance is due to the presence of periodic acid-Schiff-positive, membrane-bound cellular debris. In the present case the granular appearance was due to the presence of many small Rosenthal fibers, which were immunoreactive for glial fibrillary acidic protein, vimentin, ubiquitin, and heat-shock protein 27, but not for α-B crystallin. The ultrastructural characteristics are described. These findings demonstrate that granulofilamentous inclusions with the appearance of Rosenthal fibers in glial tumors are a structurally heterogeneous feature.

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  1. Division of Neuropathology, The Toronto Hospital, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada

    Marc R. Del Bigio & John H. N. Deck

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  1. Marc R. Del Bigio
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  2. John H. N. Deck
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Del Bigio, M.R., Deck, J.H.N. Rosenthal fibers producing a granular cell appearance in a glioblastoma. Acta Neuropathol 86, 100–104 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00454907

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00454907

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