• Department of Pathology
  • Pathology Staff
• Department of Laboratory Medicine
  • Laboratory Medicine Staff
• Affiliated Hospitals
  • Moffitt-Long
  • Mount Zion Medical Center
  • San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center
  • San Francisco General
• Faculty
  • Pathology
  • Laboratory Medicine

Research and Clinical Interests

My goal is to develop a better understanding of the critical elements for histological classification of primary CNS neoplasms with specific emphasis on pediatric brain tumors, their distinctive subtypes and prognostic markers for each subtype (1,2). Our observations contributed to the understanding of biological behavior and molecular features in some tumors such as pilomyxoid astrocytomas (3). My laboratory actively collaborates with many colleagues from the Brain Tumor Research Center, UCSF, and scientists from other institutions such as Johns Hopkins University, Stanford University, and the Mayo Clinic to better define entities, and novel prognostic markers (4,5). I participate in the activities of California Childhood Brain Tumor Consortium, Children’s Oncology Group and WHO Classification of Tumours of the Nervous System. I take an active role in our professional organizations as the Vice President for Professional Affairs of the American Association for Neuropathologists. I also function as a member of the test material development committee of the NBME for Step I examination.

Selected Publications

• Ceppa EP, Bouffet E, Griebel R, Robinson C, Tihan T: The Pilomyxoid Astrocytoma and its Relationship to Pilocytic Astrocytoma: Report of a Case and a Critical Review of the Entity. J Neurooncol, 2006.
• Tihan T, Fisher PG, Kepner JL, Godfraind C, McComb RD, Goldthwaite PT, Burger PC: Pediatric astrocytomas with monomorphous pilomyxoid features and a less favorable outcome. J Neuropathol Exp Neurol 58:1061-1068, 1999.
• Tihan T, Barletta J, Parney I, Lamborn K, Sneed PK, Chang S: Prognostic value of detecting recurrent glioblastoma multiforme in surgical specimens from patients after radiotherapy: should pathology evaluation alter treatment decisions? Hum Pathol 37:272-282, 2006.
• Tihan T, Vohra P, Berger MS, Keles GE: Definition and diagnostic implications of gemistocytic astrocytomas: a pathological perspective. J Neurooncol 76:175-183, 2006.
• Wang M, Tihan T, Rojiani AM, Bodhireddy SR, Prayson RA, Iacuone JJ, Alles AJ, Donahue DJ, Hessler RB, Kim JH, Haas M, Rosenblum MK, Burger PC: Monomorphous angiocentric glioma: a distinctive epileptogenic neoplasm with features of infiltrating astrocytoma and ependymoma. J Neuropathol Exp Neurol 64:875-881, 2005.

Selected Awards

• 2001-2002 W Barry Wood Jr. Award for Teaching Excellence, JHU Medical School
• 2002-2003 UCSF Department of Pathology Teaching Excellence Award
• 2002-2003 UCSF Department of Neurological Surgery, Diane RalstonTeaching Award
• 2004-2005 UCSF Department of Neurological Surgery Diane Ralston Teaching Award

• Associate Professor of Pathology
• Pathology
• Neuropathology

Specialty Area

Neuropathology

Contact Information

• tarik.tihan@ucsf.edu
• Phone: (415) 476-5236
• Pager: (415) 433-1390
• Fax: (415) 476-7963

• Neuropathology Unit
• 505 Parnassus Avenue, Room M551
• San Francisco, CA 94143-0102

Other UCSF Organizational Association(s)

• Brain Tumor Research Center

Hospital Affiliation(s)

• UCSF Medical Center