The 31st meeting of the Japan Society of Brain Tumor Pathology was held on 24–25 May 2013 at Kokusai Fashion Center, Tokyo, Japan.

Recently, standardization of brain tumor pathology diagnosis and introduction of molecular diagnosis have brought innovative evolution to the diagnosis. The detailed pathological information including molecular phenotypes is now necessary for better choice of extent of surgical removal, chemotherapy and molecular targeted therapy. On the other hand, some treatments including molecular targeted therapy, local implantation of chemo-drug and local radiotherapies may alter the pathological features. So, brain tumor pathologists require deeper knowledge about various clinical data including neuroimaging of each patient. Vice versa, neurosurgeons and neuroradiologists should gain deeper understanding of the recent pathological diagnosis for better treatment of each patient.

From these aspects, I decided the main theme of this meeting.

“For a deeper understanding of pathological diagnosis of brain tumors.”

In this meeting, prominent pathologists, Professor Peter C. Burger (Johns Hopkins University), Professor Torsten Pietsch (Bonn University), and Professor Asao Hirano (Monte-Fiore Medical Center) gave lectures and/or provided valuable comments. There were many significant presentations by participants in oral and poster sessions of this meeting. In this issue, prominent presentations are introduced as invited or original articles.

I hope these papers will contribute to deepen understanding of the new developments in Brain Tumor Pathology.

Sincerely yours,

Akira Matsumura, M.D., Ph.D.

President, the 31st meeting of the Japan Society of Brain Tumor Pathology.