Extraneural metastasis of a nongerminomatous germ cell tumor of the central nervous system in a pediatric patient with a ventriculoperitoneal shunt: a case report and review of the literature

Extraneural recurrence of an intracranial nongerminomatous germ cell tumor to cervical lymph nodes in a pediatric patient: Case report

Background

Intracranial germ cell tumors (GCTs) comprise 3%–5% of pediatric primary central nervous system (CNS) tumors in Western countries. Though they are related in embryonic origin to gonadal GCTs, which are considered highly treatable with cisplatin‐based chemotherapy regimens, intracranial GCTs vary in malignant potential and sensitivity to radiation and chemotherapy, generally carrying a worse prognosis. Metastases of intracranial GCTs outside of the CNS are rare, indicate a poor prognosis, and their salvage treatment is not well established.

Case

A 15‐year‐old boy presented with bifocal (suprasellar and pineal) intracranial nongerminomatous germ cell tumors of mixed origin. The tumors were treated to full response with a multimodal approach of neoadjuvant chemotherapy, surgical resection, and adjuvant craniospinal proton radiation. Nine months following treatment completion, the patient presented with an enlarged cervical lymph node determined on excisional biopsy to be a recurrence of pure germinoma from the primary tumors. Salvage treatment involved high‐dose chemotherapy and autologous stem cell transplantation; however, the patient denied further treatment prior to planned focal radiotherapy. Thirty months post‐treatment, the patient is well with no evidence of recurrence.

Conclusion

This case demonstrated the successful salvage treatment of an extraneural recurrence of an intracranial GCT using surgical resection and a high‐dose chemotherapy and autologous stem‐cell transplantation regimen, highlighting the unique factors which led to the selection of this regimen.

The external metastasis of the central nerve system germ cell tumors: case report and review of the literature

Background

Central nervous system germ cell tumors (CNS GCTs) represent a class of rare tumors that exhibit region-specific prevalence in some Asian areas (15.3%), higher than that in North America (3.6%), and age-specific prevalence in children and adolescents. According to the 2016 World Health Organization (WHO) classification, CNS GCTs can be categorized into germinomas and non-germinomatous GCTs (NGGCTs). Owing to the compression of the interventricular foramen by enlarged GCTs in the pineal gland, the resultant obstructive hydrocephalus may result in high intracranial pressure (HIP) at an alarming pace, which urgently requires a ventriculoperitoneal shunt for the relief of severe HIP. Although CNS GCT cells tend to migrate through the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) starting from the subependymal lining, metastasis along the ventriculoperitoneal shunt tube is extremely rare.

Case presentation

In this study, we reported two cases of iGCTs with intraperitoneal metastasis. Both patients underwent ventriculoperitoneal shunt placement to alleviate HIP, and both received standard radiotherapy and chemotherapy, but they still developed abdominal metastasis, and all the abdominal masses were pathologically confirmed to be iGCTs.

Conclusions

We performed a literature study and found that from 1979 to 2020, a total of 18 cases of iGCTs were metastasized outside the nervous system. We also found a shift of the median of 13.5 months and that the most common primary site was the pineal region (83.3%); moreover, nearly half of the patients (44%) died within 1 year of metastasis, indicating a poor prognosis after celiac metastasis.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s41016-021-00246-0.

A brainstem mass of Müllerian type Epithelial Origin without any primary cancer source

Brainstem tumors are rare, even rarer is a brainstem tumor containing tissues of an embryologic gynecologic origin. We report a very rare case of presence of a calcified heterogeneously contrast enhancing brainstem mass of Müllerian origin in a patient in a 38 year old female with no female genital tract cancer and past surgical history of ventriculoperitoneal (VP) shunt placement for congenital hydrocephalus. To our knowledge this is the very first and unusual case of a mass of gynecologic origin in the brainstem region especially in the setting of no history of gynecological tumor. The authors also reviewed the literature for all tumors reported for anterograde and retrograde dissemination of tumor cells through VP shunt. This case is a reaffirmation of the importance of brain tumor location and tissue diagnosis for the purpose of adjuvant treatment of neurosurgical lesions in the neurocritical care setting. It also highlights the role of catheters as potential routes of iatrogenic transmission not just in anterograde but also in a retrograde manner to the CNS, which is very unusual. This is the only second case to report retrograde flow of tumor cells from an extraneural source up the VP catheters. The authors suggest that intraperitoneal chemotherapy should be considered in the cases of known extraneural abdominal malignancies of high malignant potential with or without the presence of peritoneal infiltration in order to avoid dissemination through VP shunts.

Widespread Intra-abdominal Carcinomatosis from a Rhabdoid Meningioma after Placement of a Ventriculoperitoneal Shunt: A Case Report and Review of the Literature

Intra-abdominal metastasis (IAM) of central nervous system (CNS) tumors via ventriculoperitoneal shunt (VPS) is rare but has been previously reported (e.g., germinomas and medulloblastomas). However, there has been no previous report in the literature involving meningiomas. A case of primary rhabdoid meningioma with widespread intra-abdominal carcinomatosis after placement of a VPS in a 36-year-old man is described. The patient underwent preoperative angioembolization of the tumor, craniotomy, and surgical excision, followed by postoperative gamma knife radiosurgery. Five months later, he underwent a decompressive craniectomy and surgical excision for tumor recurrence causing raised intracranial pressure and communicating hydrocephalus, necessitating placement of a VPS. One month after placement of the VPS, the patient developed abdominal distension and confusion. He was treated for a VPS infection, and the shunt was explanted. He continued to deteriorate with high output from the peritoneal drain placed at the time of shunt explantation. An exploratory laparotomy revealed multiple diffuse peritoneal and omental nodules which had the same histopathological and immunohistochemical morphology as the primary tumor. We reviewed the current literature on IAM of primary CNS tumors via VPS, which revealed that patients belonging in the pediatric age group, of the male gender, and with a primary intracranial germinoma or medulloblastoma have a higher incidence of IAM. Majority of IAM occurred within 2 years of VPS placement, and patients most commonly present with abdominal distension and ascites. Treatment after diagnosis is varied and the prognosis is poor, with more than half of the patients dying within a year. It is vital for clinicians to maintain a high index of suspicion for similar patients, as early intervention could potentially improve patient outcomes and patient expectations managed more effectively.

Widespread Intra-abdominal Carcinomatosis from a Rhabdoid Meningioma after Placement of a Ventriculoperitoneal Shunt: A Case Report and Review of the Literature

Intra-abdominal metastasis (IAM) of central nervous system (CNS) tumors through ventriculoperitoneal shunt (VPS) is rare but has been previously reported (e.g., germinomas and medulloblastomas). However, there has been no previous reports in literature involving meningiomas. A case of primary rhabdoid meningioma with widespread intra-abdominal carcinomatosis after placement of a VPS in a 36-year-old man is described. The patient underwent preoperative angioembolization of the tumor, craniotomy, and surgical excision, followed by postoperative gamma knife radiosurgery. Five months later, he underwent a decompressive craniectomy and surgical excision for tumor recurrence causing raised intracranial pressure and communicating hydrocephalus, necessitating placement of a VPS. One month after placement of the VPS, the patient developed abdominal distension and confusion. He was treated for a VPS infection and the shunt was explanted. He continued to deteriorate with high output from the peritoneal drain placed at the time of shunt explantation. An exploratory laparotomy revealed multiple diffuse peritoneal and omental nodules which had the same histopathological and immunohistochemical morphology as the primary tumor. We reviewed the current literature on IAM of primary CNS tumors through VPS, which revealed that patients belonging to the pediatric age group of the male gender and with a primary intracranial germinoma or medulloblastoma have a higher incidence of IAM. The majority of IAM occurred within 2 years of VPS placement, and patients most commonly present with abdominal distension and ascites. Treatment after diagnosis is varied, and the prognosis is poor, with more than half of the patients dying within a year. It is vital for clinicians to maintain a high index of suspicion for similar patients as early intervention could potentially improve patient outcomes and patient expectations managed more effectively.

Long-term outcomes in patients with pineal nongerminomatous malignant germ cell tumors treated by radical resection during initial treatment combined with adjuvant therapy

BACKGROUND

For pineal nongerminomatous malignant germ cell tumors (NGMGCTs), we mainly performed radical tumor resection during initial treatment combined with adjuvant therapy.

METHODS

We retrospectively analyzed 17 patients treated for pineal NGMGCTs between 1986 and 2007 at the University of Niigata.

RESULTS

Twelve patients underwent total or subtotal resection of their tumor via the occipital transtentorial approach. Five patients underwent partial resection, and four of them later underwent total resection by salvage surgery. After surgery, eight patients were treated with combined radiochemotherapy including whole-brain irradiation, two received radiation monotherapy, one had chemotherapy with local irradiation, and six were treated with chemotherapy alone. The median follow-up period for surviving patients was 179 months. The 10-year overall survival and progression-free survival rates for the radiochemotherapy group were both 75.0 % (two patients had a recurrence and died); the rates for other adjuvant therapies were 77.8 % (two died) and 22.2 % (seven had a recurrence), respectively. Radiochemotherapy was significantly associated with an increased rate of progression-free survival compared with the other adjuvant therapies (p = 0.0396).

CONCLUSIONS

For pineal NGMGCTs, initial treatment strategies including gross total resection of the tumor before or after whole-brain irradiation and chemotherapy provided good therapeutic outcomes. Obtaining complete remission of the primary tumor, irrespective of the timing of surgical resection (i.e., before or after adjuvant therapies), or complete response by neoadjuvant radiochemotherapy during an initial treatment appears to be essential for improving therapeutic outcomes of intracranial NGMGCTs.

Extracranial, peritoneal seeding of primary malignant brain tumors through ventriculo-peritoneal shunts in children: Case report and review of the literature

INTRODUCTION

Ventriculoperitoneal shunts (VPS) have been implicated as a source of the extraneural spread of a wide variety of central nervous system tumors. The purpose is to review the literature on peritoneal seeding of central nervous system tumors from VPS in the context of a case report.

METHODS

Medline was searched using the phrase 'peritoneal seeding ventriculoperitoneal shunt'. Inclusion criteria included patients (<18 years) with evidence of peritoneal seeding from VPS.

RESULTS

Search of the literature revealed a final total of 22 articles and a total of 28 patients.

CASE REPORT

A 7-year-old boy presented with intermittent vomiting, headaches, photophobia; a 4.4 cm left thalamic mass (glioblastoma multiforme) was found. Occipital VPS catheters were placed for increasing hydrocephalus and the patient developed increased abdominal distention and pain. Computed tomography revealed diffuse ascites with carcinomatosis and the patient was diagnosed clinically with peritoneal metastases.

DISCUSSION

Our case report and literature review revealed 28 cases of central nervous system tumors demonstrating evidence of extraneural spread associated with VPS in children in a wide variety of tumors. Larger studies are required to evaluate VPS as potential risk factors for peritoneal seeding and familiarity with potential VPS-related peritoneal seeding is important for diagnostic consideration.

Role of ventriculoperitoneal shunting in patients with neoplasms of the central nervous system: An analysis of 59 cases

Approximately 1-5% of patients with cerebral metastasis and ~40% of patients with primary brain tumors suffer from hydrocephalus. These patients often exhibit a poor prognosis. The aim of the present study was to reassess the validity of ventriculoperitoneal shunting (VPS) with the assistance of the general surgeon in oncological patients. A total of 59 patients underwent first-time VPS at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (Boston, USA) between 2004 and 2012; 40 patients had hydrocephalus from brain metastasis and 19 from primary tumors. The analyzed independent variables included demographics, body mass index, past medical history, clinical presentation, indication for surgery, Karnofsky performance status (KPS) score and surgical technique; the dependent variables were postoperative symptoms and occurrence, cause and time of shunt failure. The outcomes were analyzed with the t-test and Kaplan-Meier estimates for shunt survival. The mean age of the patients was 57.2 years and the mean operative time was 50.4 min. Symptomatic palliation was achieved in 93% of the cases; patients with severe symptoms, such as debilitating headaches, nausea and vomiting, benefited significantly from VPS. The mean follow-up time was 6.3 months; complications occurred in only 7 patients (11.8%) during follow-up: 2 in the proximal shunt (1 infection and 1 obstruction), both requiring revision, 1 infection in the distal catheter requiring shunt removal, 2 cases of intracerebral bleeding that were monitored with computed tomography scans, 1 wound infection treated with antibiotics and 1 valve complication that required temporary revision. The initial and 3-month KPS scores were 65±16.4 and 75±16.0, respectively. The mean overall shunt survival was 6.4 months (range, 1.0 day-76.0 months) from the placement of the VP shunt. At 3 months after VPS, 93.5% of the patients remained alive with functioning shunts and at 1 year 87% of the shunts were still functioning. In conclusion, VPS remains a valid option for cancer patients with low KPS, as it improves the quality of life in such patients, even in the setting of previous infection, hemorrhage, or leptomeningeal disease, since shunt patency outlasts the overall survival of nearly all patients.