Primary cerebellopontine angle angiosarcoma

Pediatric primary intracranial angiosarcoma with epithelioid differentiation: a surgeon's dilemma

Angiosarcoma is a rare form of soft tissue sarcoma originating from endothelial tissue, accounting for < 1% of all sarcomas. Primary epithelioid angiosarcomas of the central nervous system (CNS) are even more elusive, with only four reports described in the literature. In this article, we describe the first case in pediatric population, with a brief literature review regarding this entity. A 13-year-old girl presented to emergency services with raised intracranial pressure. MRI demonstrated a heterogenous lesion in the temporal lobe. She underwent emergency craniotomy and subtotal excision of the tumor. Eventually the patient developed multiple infarcts and succumbed post operatively. Pre-operative diagnosis on radiology is difficult considering the rarity of this entity and heterogeneity in radiological appearance. One needs to have a high degree of suspicion to consider angiosarcoma as a radiological differential. Overall prognosis remains poor. Early adjuvant treatment may improve overall survival.

Case report: a case of primary intracranial parasagittal meningeal angiosarcoma

BACKGROUND

Angiosarcoma, also known as malignant hemangioendothelioma, is a rare vasogenic malignant tumor, commonly found on the skin of the head and neck, rarely occurring in the intracranial region. As for intracranial meningeal angiosarcoma, only 8 cases have been reported before and there is no clinical study with large sample size. We report here a case of parasagittal meningeal angiosarcoma.

CASE DESCRIPTION

A 48-year-old Chinese male patient was admitted to our hospital due to headache accompanied by bilateral lower limb weakness. On admission, CT showed a high-density mass on both sides of the sagittal sinus at the top of the frontal lobe. We performed exploratory surgical resection of the tumor. During the operation, it was found that the tumor originated from the dura mater and extensively invaded the surrounding brain tissue and skull, and the surrounding hemosiderin deposition was observed. Postoperative pathology suggested angiosarcoma.

CONCLUSIONS

Intracranial meningeal angiosarcoma is difficult to accurately diagnose before surgery, so radiologists and neurosurgeons need to strengthen their understanding of this disease. The presence of extensive superficial hemosiderin deposition during operation may contribute to the diagnosis, and immunohistochemistry is very important for the diagnosis of intracranial angiosarcoma.

Clinical characteristics and surgical outcomes of primary intracranial angiosarcomas

OBJECTIVE

Primary intracranial angiosarcomas (PIAs) are exceedingly uncommon, with the literature predominantly comprising case reports. The clinical characteristics and prognosis of this condition remain elusive. Our objective is to describe the clinical characteristics and surgical prognosis of this rare disease while offering insights into the most effective contemporary treatment strategy.

METHODS

The authors of this article incorporated a cohort of 28 cases of PIAs, consisting of 3 from our institution and 25 from previously documented literature sources. Subsequently, we conducted both Cox univariate and multivariate analyses to assess the potential risk factors influencing overall survival (OS).

RESULTS

The cohort include 19 males and 9 females with a mean age of 39.6 ± 23.5 years (range: 0.03-73 years). Radiologically, 24 cases were located at supratentorial area, while only 4 cases were located at infratentorial area. 17 cases underwent gross total resection (GTR), and 11 cases underwent Non-GTR. Postoperative radiotherapy was administered to 17 cases, and postoperative chemotherapy was administered to 6 cases. After a mean follow-up time of 21.5 ± 26.4 months, 19 (67.9%) patients died. The 1-year, 2-year, 5-year OS is 55.3%, 50.7% and 24.6%, respectively. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that Non-GTR was the sole factor predicting a shorter OS (p = 0.004).

CONCLUSION

In this study, we found that PIAs have a higher incidence in males than in females, and most cases show evidence of old hemorrhage on preoperative MRI. Through our statistical analysis, GTR plays a crucial role in for treating this rare disease. Further clinical data are needed to validate our conclusions.

Primary pilocytic astrocytoma of the cerebellopontine angle in pediatric patient with neurofibromatosis type 1: a case report

Background

Cerebellopontine angle tumor (CPA) in pediatrics is rare as compared to adults. We describe a case of pediatric pilocytic astrocytoma presented as a right CPA mass with a concurrent clinical diagnosis of neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1).

Case presentation

A 14-year-old boy with a newly diagnosed hypertension presented with a short history of headache and blurring vision. Neurological examination revealed bilateral papilloedema, partial right third nerve palsy and mild sensorineuronal hearing deficits. Skin examination identified multiple café au lait spots with cutaneous neurofibromas. Preoperative neuroimaging suggested the diagnosis of an extraaxial CPA mass consistent with meningioma, with obstructive hydrocephalus. A left ventriculoperitoneal shunt was inserted and the child was subjected for a suboccipital retrosigmoid approach for tumor resection. The histopathological features, however, were typical for pilocytic astrocytoma.

Conclusions

A careful evaluation of the clinical presentation and radiological images of CPA lesions is necessary prior to surgical embarkment. To the best of our knowledge, this case is the first report of pilocytic astrocytoma in the CPA in pediatric with NF1.

Primary Brainstem Angiosarcoma Mimicking Cavernous Malformation

BACKGROUND

Cerebral angiosarcoma is an extremely rare malignant tumor that originates from vascular endothelial cells of the brain or meninges. Especially, primary brainstem angiosarcoma has not been reported.

CASE DESCRIPTION

A 64-year-old man presented with left subjective weakness, hypesthesia, and dizziness. Brain imaging showed a multistage hemorrhagic mass in the right dorsal pons, which was initially misdiagnosed as a cavernous malformation. The patient's neurologic status suddenly deteriorated over a few months, and the mass grew rapidly. Surgical resection was performed, and the final pathology showed brainstem angiosarcoma.

CONCLUSIONS

To our knowledge, this is the first case of brainstem angiosarcoma confirmed by pathology after surgical resection. This report highlights that clinicians need to consider angiosarcoma as part of the differential diagnosis for rare hemorrhagic lesions in the brainstem when both imaging findings and neurologic deterioration indicate rapid progression.

Primary Angiosarcoma of the Central Nervous System: Case Report and Review of the Imaging Features

Primary angiosarcoma of the central nervous system is a rare malignant tumor with only 28 reported cases so far. Imaging findings have only been reported in a few cases. We report a case of intracranial angiosarcoma in a Caucasian male and present a review of the imaging features in the recent literature. The tumor mostly presents as a well-demarcated, heterogeneous, moderately to strongly enhancing lesion with signs of intratumoral bleeding and surrounding vasogenic edema. The differential imaging features of common hemorrhagic intracranial tumors are discussed.

Epileptic seizure in primary intracranial sarcoma: a case report and literature review

PURPOSE

The aim of this study is to describe epileptic seizures in patients with primary intracranial sarcomas.

METHODS

We report a 17-year-old girl diagnosed with primary high-grade intracranial sarcoma with initial clinical manifestation of nonconvulsive status epilepticus. Literature reports between 2000 and 2014, relevant to primary intracranial sarcomas in children, were reviewed. The clinical presentations and neurological outcomes were analyzed.

RESULTS

Eleven of 29cases (38 %), 8 males and 3 females, who exhibited epileptic seizures as one of the initial symptoms and diagnosed with primary intracranial sarcomas were collected. The median age of disease onset was 5 years. The two most common seizure types were generalized seizures (45 %) and status epilepticus (36 %). Nine of 11 patients (82 %) had tumor growth involving the frontal lobe. Nine cases had the median duration of follow-up 1.7 years, of which 6 cases showed tumor recurrence and 3 cases died during the period of follow-up.

CONCLUSIONS

Epileptic seizures as one of the clinical manifestations are uncommon. The two most common seizure types were generalized seizures and status epilepticus. The most frequent location of primary intracranial sarcoma-related seizures was the frontal lobe. The clinical outcome varied.

Primary central nervous system angiosarcoma: a case report and literature review

Angiosarcoma is a rare vascular malignant neoplasm that mainly occurs in skin and soft tissues. Intracranial localization is very rare and only a few cases have been reported. This report intends to present the clinical, radiological and pathological pictures of a primary central nervous system angiosarcoma along with a review of the literature. A 35-year-old woman presented at our institution with weakness and sensory disturbances of her right hand. Neuroimaging revealed a roughly round, hemorrhagic and moderately enhancing lesion in the left frontal posterior region. The tumor was totally removed under awake anesthesia and continuous monitoring of motor and language functions. Histopathology revealed an epithelioid angiosarcoma. Radical removal, followed by adjuvant radiotherapy and chemotherapy, is able to completely control the disease for a relatively long period.

Tumour bleed manifesting as spontaneous extradural haematoma in posterior fossa

We report a unique case of primary extradural angiosarcoma of posterior fossa manifesting as extradural haematoma in a 12-year-old boy who presented with acute onset headache, vomiting, nuchal rigidity and altered sensorium. The patient underwent a retromastoid suboccipital craniotomy on emergency basis, and the lesion was excised completely. Histopathology and immunohistochemistry revealed an angiosarcoma, following which radiation therapy was given. The patient showed complete clinical and neurological improvement. At a follow-up of 2 years he is in good health without any sign of regrowth.

Metastatic angiosarcoma: a vascular tumour or an intracranial haemorrhage?

A 64-year-old man presented with weakness of his right arm and leg. He had previously had mitral valve replacement, tricuspid annuloplasty, leg deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and femoral embolism. Computed tomography (CT) scan of the brain showed an acute left thalamic haemorrhage. Repeat CT brain showed resolution of the original haemorrhage, but the apparent development of new areas of haemorrhage. Warfarin continued due to high risk of thromboembolism. He was readmitted with the rapid development of a visible swelling at the sternum and on the scalp. Ultrasound scan of the sternum revealed a vascular tumour. Suspected haemorrhages in the past were reported as the metastatic deposits. Biopsy and immunohistochemical staining confirmed angiosarcoma of the scalp. Being vascular tumours, angiosarcoma can mimic a brain haemorrhage. Our case illustrates a clinical conundrum. Diagnosing metastatic angiosarcoma of the brain proved difficult without visible primary and histology. The rapid clinical course of the disease and problems with anticoagulation therapy made treatment options limited and the prognosis worse.