Open AccessInfratentorial medulloepithelioma with divergent differentiation: Possibly a predictor of poor outcome
Author(s) -
Indranil Chakrabarti,
Kaushik Majumdar,
Amita Giri
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
journal of pediatric neurosciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.247
H-Index - 18
eISSN - 1998-3948
pISSN - 1817-1745
DOI - 10.4103/1817-1745.102581
Subject(s) - neuroepithelial cell , pathology , medicine , neural tube , population , embryonic stem cell , biology , embryo , biochemistry , environmental health , gene , microbiology and biotechnology
Medulloepitheliomas (WHO grade IV) are rare, malignant embryonal tumors of pediatric population, classified under the central nervous system (CNS) primitive neuroectodermal tumors (PNET). Histologically, these tumors are characterized by neoplastic neuroepithelium recapitulating the embryonic neural tube. We describe a rare case of infratentorial medulloepithelioma with divergent differentiation in a 1-year-old male child who presented with headache, vomiting, and seizures. Histopathologic examination of the excised tumor revealed the characteristic neuroepithelium, along with other areas showing primitive neuroectodermal (blastemal) cells in sheets, ependymoblastic rosettes, and nodular areas of neuronal differentiation. Possibly, this proliferating immature neuroepithelium is the cause of poor outcome in medulloepitheliomas. Due to the rarity of these tumors, it remains to be established whether infratentorial location or tumors with divergent differentiation are also predictors of adverse prognosis.