Prolonged survival in a patient with a cervical spine H3K27M-mutant diffuse midline glioma

Hypofractionated radiotherapy combined with bevacizumab plus low-dose ifosfamide, carboplatin, and etoposide as second-line chemoradiotherapy for progressing spinal diffuse midline glioma, H3K27-altered: illustrative case

BACKGROUND

Spinal cord diffuse midline glioma (DMG) is a relatively rare disease with a poor prognosis and no effective treatment.

OBSERVATIONS

A 45-year-old man presented with rapidly progressive paraplegia in both lower extremities, along with bladder and bowel disturbance. Spinal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed a heterogeneously contrast-enhanced mass at the T1-4 levels. A biopsy via T1-4 decompressive laminectomy with expansive duraplasty was performed. The histopathological diagnosis was DMG, H3K27-altered, World Health Organization grade 4. Radiation plus concomitant temozolomide was started; however, follow-up MRI showed tumor progression. Additional hypofractionated radiotherapy (HFRT; 24 Gy/5 fractions) was performed, with bevacizumab (BEV) plus low-dose ifosfamide-carboplatin-etoposide (ICE) as second-line treatment. One month later, MRI showed tumor regression with significant improvement in the peritumoral edema. The chemotherapy regimen was repeated every 4-6 weeks, and the patient remained stable. After 13 courses of chemotherapy, the size of the spinal DMG increased markedly, with dissemination to the temporal lobe. The patient died approximately 21 months after the initial diagnosis.

LESSONS

Spinal DMG is a malignant tumor with a poor prognosis. However, treatment with additional HFRT combined with BEV plus low-dose ICE may inhibit tumor progression to prolong the progression-free period and survival. https://thejns.org/doi/10.3171/CASE2464.

H3K27M-mutant glioma in thoracic spinal cord and conus medullaris with pilocytic astrocytoma morphology: case report and review of the literature

BACKGROUND

The H3K27M-mutant spinal cord gliomas are very aggressive with a dismal prognosis, very few cases have been reported in the thoracic spinal cord and conus medullaris, and it is extremely rare with morphological features of pilocytic astrocytoma.

CASE PRESENTATION

A 20-year-old man presented with thoracolumbar pain, progressive paraparesis, and urinary incontinence. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed an intramedullary solid-cystic lesion from D9 to conus medullaris. Subtotal resection was performed, restricted by the indistinct margins and the decline of the motor evoked potential during the surgery. Pathologic findings revealed a pilocytic astrocytoma with anaplastic features. However, a further assessment determined a diffuse midline glioma H3K27M-mutant, and adjuvant chemoradiotherapy was administered. After seven months of progression-free survival, the paraparesis worsened; at twelve months of follow-up, the patient developed paraplegia, and at 24 months the patient remains alive without any neurologic functions distal to the tumor and he is still under adjuvant treatment.

CONCLUSIONS

The H3K27M-mutant spinal cord glioma is a very infrequent tumor with a wide variety of histological presentations even as indolent as pilocytic astrocytoma, which should be considered in spinal cord tumors, especially if there are clinical, histological, or radiological data that suggest aggressiveness. On the other hand, the fast progression led to the loss of complete neurological function distal to the tumor, in spinal tumors could explain a not so poor prognosis as it is in functionally and vital structures.

H3K27-Altered Diffuse Glioma of the Spinal Cord in Adult Patients: A Qualitative Systematic Review and Peculiarity of Radiological Findings

Background: Primary spinal cord diffuse gliomas (SpDG) are rare tumors that may harbor, like diffuse intrinsic pontine gliomas (DIPG), H3K27M mutations. According to the WHO (2021), SpDGs are included in diffuse midline H3K27-altered gliomas, which occur more frequently in adults and show unusual clinical presentation, neuroradiological features, and clinical behavior, which differ from H3 G34-mutant diffuse hemispheric glioma. Currently, homogeneous adult-only case series of SpDG, with complete data and adequate follow-up, are still lacking. Methods: We conducted a qualitative systematic review, focusing exclusively on adult and young adult patients, encompassing all studies reporting cases of primitive, non-metastatic SpDG with H3K27 mutation. We analyzed the type of treatment administered, survival, follow-up duration, and outcomes. Results: We identified 30 eligible articles published between 1990 and 2023, which collectively reported on 62 adult and young adult patients with primitive SpDG. Postoperative outcomes were assessed based on the duration of follow-up, with outcomes categorized as either survival or mortality. Patients who underwent surgery were followed up for a mean duration of 17.37 months, while those who underwent biopsy had a mean follow-up period of 14.65 months. Among patients who were still alive, the mean follow-up duration was 18.77 months. The radiological presentation of SpDG varies widely, indicating its lack of uniformity. Conclusion: Therefore, we presented a descriptive scenario where SpDG was initially suspected to be a meningioma, but was later revealed to be a malignant SpDG with H3K27M mutation.

Diffuse midline glioma, H3K27-altered, of the conus medullaris presenting as acute urinary retention: illustrative case

BACKGROUND

Diffuse midline glioma (DMG), H3K27-altered, is a rare, highly malignant central nervous system neoplasm that arises in midline structures. They are more commonly encountered in children and are rarely encountered in adults, usually in the thalamus or spinal cord. The presence of the H3K27 mutation in the H3F3A gene automatically classifies a tumor as World Health Organization grade IV. These tumors carry a grim prognosis, with an overall median survival of less than 1 year.

OBSERVATIONS

The authors report the case of a 38-year-old male presenting with acute-onset urinary retention who was found to have an expansile, well-circumscribed mass involving the conus medullaris at the level of T12-L1. A T12-L1 laminectomy and tumor debulking were performed. Pathology revealed glial cells with astrocytic morphology among Rosenthal fibers, microvascular proliferation, and cellular atypia. The H3K27 mutation was confirmed.

LESSONS

DMG, H3K27-altered, is a rarely encountered entity that can present in numerous midline structures. If localized to the conus medullaris, it may present as acute-onset urinary retention in a previously asymptomatic patient. Further investigation is needed to characterize its molecular and clinical features in adults to improve the management of those presenting with these tumors.

Spinal Cord Diffuse Midline Glioma, H3K27M- mutant Effectively Treated with Bevacizumab: A Report of Two Cases

“Diffuse midline glioma (DMG), H3K27M-mutant” was newly classified in the revised World Health Organization (WHO) 2016 classification of central nervous system tumors. Spinal cord DMG, H3K27M-mutant is relatively rare, with poor prognosis, and there are no effective treatment protocols. In this study, we report two cases of spinal cord DMG, H3K27M-mutant treated with bevacizumab. The two patients were women in their 40s who initially presented with sensory impairment. MRI showed spinal intramedullary tumors, and each patient underwent laminectomy/laminoplasty and biopsy of the tumors. Histological examination initially suggested low-grade astrocytoma in case 1 and glioblastoma in case 2. Upon further immunohistochemical examination in case 1 and molecular examination in case 2, however, both cases were diagnosed as DMG, H3K27M-mutant. Case 1 was treated with radiation therapy and temozolomide (TMZ) chemotherapy, which induced a transient improvement of symptoms; 3 months after surgery, however, the patient’s symptoms rapidly deteriorated. MRI showed tumor enlargement with edema to the medulla. Triweekly administration of bevacizumab improved her symptoms for the following 12 months. Case 2 was treated with bevacizumab from the beginning because of acute deterioration of breathing. After bevacizumab administration, both cases showed tumor regression on MRI and drastic improvement of symptoms within a few days. Although spinal cord DMG, H3K27M-mutant has an aggressive clinical course and poor prognosis, bevacizumab administration may offer the significant clinical benefit of alleviating edema, which improves patient’s capacity for activities of daily life.

Patterns of failure after radiation therapy in primary spinal high-grade gliomas: A single institutional analysis

Background

Primary spinal high-grade gliomas (S-HGG) are rare aggressive tumors; radiation therapy (RT) often plays a dominant role in management. We conducted a single-institution retrospective review to study the clinicopathological features and management of S-HGGs.

Methods

Patients with biopsy-proven S-HGG who received RT from 2001 to 2020 were analyzed for patient, tumor, and treatment characteristics. Kaplan–Meier estimates were used for survival analyses.

Results

Twenty-nine patients were identified with a median age of 25.9 years (range 1–74 y). Four patients had GTR while 25 underwent subtotal resection or biopsy. All patients were IDH wildtype and MGMT-promoter unmethylated, where available. H3K27M mutation was present in 5 out of 10 patients tested, while one patient harbored p53 mutation. Median RT dose was 50.4 Gy (range 39.6–54 Gy) and 65% received concurrent chemotherapy, most commonly temozolomide. Twenty-three (79%) of patients had documented recurrence. Overall, 16 patients relapsed locally, 10 relapsed in the brain and 8 developed leptomeningeal disease; only 8 had isolated local relapse. Median OS from diagnosis was 21.3 months and median PFS was 9.7 months. On univariate analysis, age, gender, GTR, grade, RT modality, RT dose and concurrent chemotherapy did not predict for survival. Patients with H3K27M mutation had a poorer PFS compared to those without mutation (10.1 m vs 45.1 m) but the difference did not reach statistical significance (P = .26).

Conclusions

The prognosis of patients with spinal HGGs remains poor with two-thirds of the patients developing distant recurrence despite chemoradiation. Survival outcomes were similar in patients ≤ 29 years compared to adults > 29 years. A better understanding of the molecular drivers of spinal HGGs is needed to develop more effective treatment options.

Valproic Acid Enhanced Apoptosis by Promoting Autophagy Via Akt/mTOR Signaling in Glioma

Glioma is the most common malignant tumor in the central nervous system with a poor median survival. Valproic acid (VPA), a widely used antiepileptic drug, has been found to have antitumor effects on gliomas, but its role still has not been determined. In this study, we investigated VPA-induced apoptotic and autophagic effects on human U251 and SNB19 cells by cell counting kit-8 assay, flow cytometry, terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated nick end labeling staining, western blots, and immunofluorescence assay in vitro, and then we further explored the role of autophagy in apoptosis by using the selective antagonist MHY1485. The data showed that VPA inhibited U251 and SNB19 glioma cells viability in a dose-dependent and time-dependent manner and induced apoptosis through the mitochondria-dependent pathway in vitro. In addition, VPA activated the Akt/mTOR pathway by decreasing their protein phosphorylation to promote cellular apoptosis. Surprisingly, the mTOR agonist MHY1485, causing a strong elevation of mTOR activity, partially reduced apoptosis ratio, which supposing that the autophagy of VPA is involved in the regulation of apoptosis. These findings suggest that VPA enhanced apoptosis by promoting autophagy via Akt/mTOR signaling in glioma, which could be further evaluated as a reliable therapy for glioma.

Clinical Features and Outcomes of Primary Spinal Cord Glioblastoma: A Single-Center Experience and Literature Review

OBJECTIVE

We aim to elucidate the clinical characteristics of patients with primary spinal cord glioblastoma (PSC GBM) and prognostic factors for their outcomes.

METHODS

A cohort of 11 patients with pathologically diagnosed PSC GBM from our center were retrospectively reviewed. The clinical, radiologic, operative, and molecular information were recorded, and univariate analysis was performed to identify prognostic factors.

RESULTS

The patient cohort included 5 males (45.5%) and 6 females (54.5%) with a median age of 26 years (range, 9-69 years). The median duration of the preoperative symptoms was 4.0 months (range, 0.5-120 months). Subtotal resection was achieved in 8 patients (72.7%) and partial resection in 3 (27.3%). Two patients (18.2%) underwent postoperative adjuvant chemoradiotherapy, 2 patients underwent (27.3%) chemotherapy only, and 6 patients (54.5%) neither. Two patients underwent additional therapy with bevacizumab. After a mean follow-up of 12.4 months (range, 1-33 months), Kaplan-Meier plot showed that the median progression-free survival and overall survival were 6.0 (range, 0.5-12.0) months and 12.0 (range, 1.0-33.0) months, respectively, and 1-year survival was 31.8%. Age at diagnosis and duration of the preoperative symptoms were confirmed as prognostic factors of progression-free survival and overall survival in univariate analysis (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

Despite aggressive treatment, PSC GBM still has a dismal prognosis and leads to severe neurologic deficit. Age at diagnosis and duration of the preoperative symptoms were confirmed as prognostic factors, yet the role of adjuvant radiochemotherapy and extent of resection are still unclear, necessitating further research.