Anaplastic Pleomorphic Xanthoastrocytoma Presenting with Musical Hallucination

Clinical features and surgical outcomes of high grade pleomorphic xanthoastrocytomas: a single-center experience with a systematic review

Purpose

High grade pleomorphic xanthoastrocytomas (HGPXAs) are very rare and their management and prognostic outcomes remain unclear. To better understand the disease, we aimed to evaluate the risk factors for progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS), and propose a treatment protocol based on cases from our institute and cases from the literature.

Methods

The authors reviewed the clinical data of 26 patients with HGPXAs who underwent surgical treatment in Department of Neurosurgery of Beijing Tiantan Hospital between August 2014 and September 2021. We also searched the PubMed database using the keywords "anaplastic" combined with "pleomorphic xanthoastrocytoma(s)" between January 1997 and October 2022. Risk factors for PFS and OS were evaluated in the pooled cases.

Results

The authors' cohort included 11 males and 15 females with a mean age of 36.7 ± 20.3 years (range: 5.5-71 years). Gross-total resection (GTR) and non-GTR were achieved in 17 (65.4%) and 9 (34.6%) patients, respectively. Radiotherapy and chemotherapy were administered to 22 and 20 patients, respectively. After a mean follow-up of 20.5 ± 21.2 months (range: 0.5-78.1 months), 7 patients suffered tumor recurrence and 6 patients died with a mean OS time of 19.4 ± 10.8 months (range: 8-36 months). In the literature between January 1997 and October 2022, 56 cases of HGPXAs were identified in 29 males and 27 females with a mean age of 29.6 ± 19.6 years (range; 4-74 years). Among them, 24 (44.4%) patients achieved GTR. Radiotherapy and chemotherapy was administered to 31 (62%) patients and 23 (46%) patients, respectively. After a median follow-up of 31.4 ± 35.3 months (range: 0.75-144 months), the mortality and recurrence rates were 32.5% (13/40) and 70% (28/40), respectively. Multivariate Cox regression model demonstrated that non-GTR (HR 0.380, 95% CI 0.174-0.831, p=0.015), age≥30 (HR 2.620, 95% CI 1.183-5.804, p=0.018), no RT (HR 0.334,95% CI 0.150-0.744, p=0.007) and no CT (HR 0.422, 95% CI 0.184-0.967, p=0.042) were negative prognostic factors for PFS. Non-GTR (HR 0.126, 95% CI 0.037-0.422, p=0.001), secondary HGPXAs (HR 7.567, 95% CI 2.221-25.781, p=0.001), age≥30 (HR 3.568, 95% CI 1.190-10.694, p=0.023) and no RT (HR 0.223,95% CI 0.073-0.681, p=0.008) were risk factors for OS.

Conclusion

High grade pleomorphic xanthoastrocytomas are very rare brain tumors. Children and younger adults have better clinical outcome than elderly patients. Secondary HGPXAs had worse OS than primary HGPXAs. Complete surgical excision plus RT and CT is recommended for this entity. The frequency of BRAF mutations in HGPXAs is 47.5% (19/40) in this study, however, we do not find the connections between BRAF mutations and clinical outcomes. Future studies with larger cohorts are necessary to verify our findings.

Pleomorphic Xanthoastrocytoma of the Frontal Lobe in a Child: A Rare Entity

Pleomorphic xanthoastrocytoma (PXA) is an infrequent neoplasm that affects children less commonly than adults. In this case report, a four-year-old boy presented with focal seizures has diagnosed with this tumor in the frontal lobe. Complete surgical resection was achieved, and histopathological features of PXA grade II were observed. During follow-up, the patient showed improvement of the focal seizures. In spite of the pleomorphic features, the PXA had a favorable prognosis.

A case series of pediatric survivors of anaplastic pleomorphic xanthoastrocytoma

Background

Anaplastic pleomorphic xanthoastrocytoma (APXA) is a rare subtype of CNS astrocytoma. They are generally treated as high-grade gliomas; however, uncertainty exists regarding the optimal therapy. Here, we report on 3 pediatric cases of APXA.

Methods

Our institutional database was queried for cases of APXA and 3 cases were identified. Surgical samples were processed for methylation profiling and chromosomal microarray analysis. Methylation data were uploaded to the online CNS tumor classifier to determine methylation-based diagnoses to determine copy number variations (CNVs).

Results

Two patients were male, 1 female, and all were aged 12 years at diagnosis. All underwent a gross total resection (GTR) and were diagnosed with an APXA. Immunohistochemical analysis demonstrated that 2 cases were BRAF V600E positive. Methylation-based tumor classification supported the APXA diagnosis in all cases. CNV analyses revealed homozygous CKDN2A deletions in all and chromosome 9p loss in 2 cases. All patients received radiation therapy (54 Gy in 30 fractions) with concurrent temozolomide. Two patients received maintenance chemotherapy with temozolomide and lomustine for 6 cycles as per the Children’s Oncology Group ACNS0423. The third patient recurred and went on to receive a second GTR and 6 cycles of lomustine, vincristine, and procarbazine. All are alive with no evidence of disease >4 years post-treatment completion (overall survival = 100%, event free survival = 67%).

Conclusions

The natural history and optimal treatment of this rare pediatric tumor are not well understood. This case series supports the use of adjuvant chemoradiotherapy in the treatment of APXA. The genetic landscape may be informative for optimizing treatment and prognosis.