A 45-year-old woman undergoes resection of a convexity dural-based mass attached to the meninges that indents but does not invade the brain. Histology shows whorls of meningothelial cells with numerous concentric laminated calcifications. The tumor expresses somatostatin receptor 2 and shows loss of NF2/merlin. These calcifications are termed:

• A Corpora amylacea
• B Psammoma bodies ✓
• C Rosenthal fibers
• D Negri bodies

Explanation

Meningiomas commonly show whorled meningothelial cells forming concentric lamellated calcifications called psammoma bodies, especially in the psammomatous subtype. Psammoma bodies also occur in papillary thyroid carcinoma, serous ovarian tumors, and mesothelioma. Corpora amylacea are nonspecific polyglucosan bodies of aging brain, Rosenthal fibers are seen in pilocytic astrocytoma, and Negri bodies are rabies inclusions, eliminating all distractors.

Reference: Robbins and Cotran Pathologic Basis of Disease, 10th ed.

High-yield for: NEET PGINI-CETNExTFMGEUSMLEPLABMRCP

Written and medically reviewed by the StethoPrep medical team.