Brain Tumors Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Brain Tumors, including details on symptoms, benign and malignant tumors, gliomas, screening, treatment.

A paediatric supratentorial primitive neuroectodermal tumour associated with malignant astrocytic transformation and a clonal origin of both components.

Kuhn SA, Hanisch UK, Ebmeier K, Beetz C, Brodhun M, Reichart R, Ewald C, Deufel T, Kalff R

Department of Neurosurgery, Medical Centre, Friedrich-Schiller-University, Erlanger Allee 101, 07747 Jena, Germany. Susanne.Kuhn@med.uni-jena.de

The case of a 7-year-old boy suffering from a supratentorial primitive neuroectodermal tumour (sPNET) at the age of 5 is presented. The tumour has been characterized by astrocytic areas within the sPNET revealing malignant transformation up to a multiform glioblastoma during the course of the disease. The clonal origin of both tumour components was established by loss of heterozygosity (LOH) analysis. Clinically, the tumour showed an aggressive biological behaviour with two recurrences. We discuss this very rare case and the first description of the clonal origin of distinct and distinguishable tumour components taking into consideration published literature.

Published 8 March 2007 in Neurosurg Rev, 30(2): 143-9; discussion 149.
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