Preface

In 2016, the World Health Organization (WHO) Classification of Tumors of the Central Nervous System (CNS) was revised. The 34th Annual Meeting of the Japan Society of Brain Tumor Pathology (JSBTP) was held on May 27–28, 2016, just after the publication of the 2016 WHO classification of the tumors of the CNS. The new WHO classification was epoch-making. The CNS tumors have been classified based on the histological feature so far. The 2016 WHO classification employed the molecular parameters in addition to the histological features for some types of the neuroepithelial tumors for the first time. Moreover, some new entities, variants, and patterns were introduced, and some entities were reorganized. It was a great honor for us to hold the annual meeting of JSBTP in this memorial year in the field of the brain tumor pathology. Two foreign guests, Prof. Cynthia E. Hawkins from Toronto, Canada and Prof. Andreas Helmut Robert von Deimling from Heidelberg, Germany, have contributed to the meeting as the invited guest speakers. Prof. Takanori Hirose and Prof. Takashi Komori, who are the past and the vice presidents of this society, respectively, were also contributed in the educational session of the meeting. They gave us outstanding lectures, which introduced and explained the policy and the outline of the 2016 WHO classification. In addition to the invited speakers, all of the participants have made the meeting extremely fruitful and impressive. Moreover, Prof. Hawkins also has contributed to this special issue of Brain Tumor Pathology. We sincerely appreciate all of the attendants to the 34th Annual Meeting of JSBTP and Prof. Jiro Akimoto and Prof. Makoto Shibuya, who have made an important roles to organize the meeting as the scientific advisory board. The new era of the classification of the central nervous tumors has just started. The 2016 WHO classification of the tumors of the CNS may not be perfect. It will be revised and be sophisticated in the clinical field in the near future.

I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Prof. Takashi Komori, the editor of Brain Tumor Pathology for editing this special issue.

Kazunari Yoshida

President, The 34th Annual Meeting of the Japan Society of Brain Tumor Pathology.

Photo 1

Prof. Cynthia E. Hawkins

Photo 2

Prof. Andreas Helmut Robert von Deimling

Photo 3

Members of the local organizing committee of the 34th JSBTP