Open AccessPossible Involvement of Brain Tumour Stem Cells in the Emergence of a Fast-Growing Malignant Meningioma after Surgical Resection and Radiotherapy of High-Grade Astrocytoma: Case Report and Preliminary Laboratory Investigation
Author(s) -
Weiwei Hu,
Fang Shen,
G Chen,
Gang Shen,
W Liu,
Jia Zhou
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
journal of international medical research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.421
H-Index - 57
eISSN - 1473-2300
pISSN - 0300-0605
DOI - 10.1177/147323000903700129
Subject(s) - medicine , astrocytoma , meningioma , radiation therapy , craniotomy , magnetic resonance imaging , anaplastic astrocytoma , radiology , malignant meningioma , vomiting , glioma , pathology , surgery , cancer research
The case of a 62-year old man diagnosed with radiation-induced meningioma (RIM) after treatment for astrocytoma with an unusually short latency period of 7 months is reported. The patient first presented with a 2-month history of memory decline. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed a tumour in the left parieto-temporal lobe. Gross total resection was performed and the tumour was confirmed to be an astrocytoma. The patient received cranial radiotherapy 2 weeks later, however 7 months after radiation treatment the patient presented with headache and vomiting. MRI showed massive meningeal enhancement in the left frontal lobe, which progressively enlarged. The patient's clinical condition deteriorated and a second craniotomy was performed with complete removal of the secondary tumour, which was shown to be a malignant meningioma. Immunohistochemical staining identified CD133-positive cells in both tumours. A rare fraction of brain tumour stem cells (BTSC) was isolated from the primary astrocytoma using a serum-free culture system, suggesting that BTSC may have been involved in the rapid emergence of RIM after resection and radiation of the primary astrocytoma.