ABSTRACT
The development of supratentorial primitive neuroectodermal tumors (SPNET), particularly neuroblastomas, in the cerebral hemispheres may, at first glance, seem paradoxical due to the apparent lack of proliferative activity of migrating neuroblasts implicit in early schemes of central neurocytogenesis (Fujita, 1963). Recent evidence on neural stem cells has revolutionized our thinking on cells at carcinogenic risk. Evidence indicating the presence of both indigenous and circulating stem cells capable of neurogenic differentiation offer a provocative explanation for the occurrence of the admittedly exceptional central neuroblastoma (Mezey, 2003). As new information becomes available on the postnatal sites of continuing neuronogenesis, we will gain deeper insights into the pathogenesis and location of these tumors.
