Maturation of intracranial immature teratomas. Report of two cases

Nephrogenic rest vs immature teratoma associated with lumbosacral lipomyelomeningocele: a case report and review of the literature

BACKGROUND

Lipomyelomeningoceles (LMMs) are subcutaneous lipomas with dural penetration that often present with spinal cord tethering and may lead to neurological deterioration if untreated. This report describes a rare case of an LMM associated with immature nephroblastic tissue, representing a nephrogenic rest (NR) or, less likely, an immature teratoma.

CLINICAL PRESENTATION

An 8-day-old infant girl presented to the clinic with a sacral dimple. Imaging demonstrated a tethered spinal cord with low-lying conus medullaris and an LMM. A firm mass was noted in the subcutaneous lipoma. Detethering surgery and removal of the lipoma and mass were performed at the age of 6 months. Pathological examination identified the mass as cartilage, fat, and immature nephroblastic tissue consistent with NR tissue or, less likely, a teratoma with renal differentiation.

CONCLUSION

This presentation of an LMM associated with an immature teratoma or NR poses a risk of malignant transformation in patients. As a result, careful surgical dissection, resection, and close clinical follow-up are recommended for these patients.

A Rare Case of Immature Sacrococcygeal Teratoma With Lymph Node Metastasis in a Neonate

This is the first report of an immature sacrococcygeal teratoma with inguinal lymph node metastasis, providing the histologic transformation of an immature teratoma in association with chemotherapy. Incomplete tumor resection with coccygectomy was performed, and the histopathologic diagnosis was a grade 3 immature teratoma. Following the initial surgery, the residual tumors enlarged and the tumors metastasized to the inguinal lymph node, demonstrating immature teratoma without yolk sac tumor components. Although the tumor markers normalized after chemotherapy, the residual tumors had enlarged significantly. Therefore, a complete resection of the residual tumors was performed, and they were found to be mature teratomas.

Extensive spinal epidural immature teratoma in an infant: case report

Here, the authors present an extremely rare case of an extensive spinal epidural teratoma (SET) in an infant and provide a review of the cases in the literature. In this report, the authors focused on the clinical manifestation and management of extensive SET. A 64-day-old girl presented with severe dyspnea and paraparesis caused by a large thoracic mass. Imaging studies revealed that the mass originated from the epidural space of the thoracic spine and extended from C7 to L1. The tumor extended bilaterally through the intervertebral foramina and formed a large posterior mediastinal mass. The tumor was partially resected via laminotomy after an emergency thoracotomy. The remnant grade I immature teratoma grew rapidly. After a re-laminotomy and bilateral thoracotomy, the residual tumor stopped growing. However, the patient's paraparesis improved very little, and her scoliosis progressed gradually. Therefore, SET should be included in the differential diagnosis when an infant patient with paraparesis of the lower extremities is encountered. Timely diagnosis, aggressive treatment, and close monitoring are of critical importance to successful recovery in such patients.

Extremely Late Recurrence 21 Years after Total Removal of Immature Teratoma: A Case Report and Literature Review

Immature teratoma (IMT) is normally treated by resection and adjuvant therapy. The present unusual case of recurrent germinoma occurred 21 years after total resection of pineal IMT. A 3-year-old boy presented with headache, disturbance of consciousness, and Parinaud's syndrome. Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging revealed a pineal mass lesion, and total resection of the tumor was achieved. The histological diagnosis was mature teratoma. He did not receive further treatment, and did well without recurrence for 20 years. However, he suffered headache 21 years after resection, and MR imaging revealed a homogeneously enhanced pineal mass with low minimum apparent diffusion coefficient value and proton MR spectroscopy showed a huge lipid peak. The levels of tumor markers were not elevated. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) cytology found atypical cells with large nuclei and irregularly shaped nucleoli. To elucidate the relationship between the primary and recurrent tumors, we reviewed the histological specimens and CSF cytology at the initial treatment and found a subset of incompletely differentiated components resembling fetal tissues in the histological specimen and atypical large cells in the CSF. Based on these radiological and histological findings, we presume that the recurrent disease was disseminated germinoma after the resection of disseminated IMT. He received chemotherapy and craniospinal radiation therapy, and the enhanced lesion and atypical cells in the CSF disappeared. This case demonstrates that disseminated IMT can be controlled for the long term without adjuvant therapy, but may recur as germinoma. Tumor dormancy may account for this unusual course.

Successful treatment of hemorrhagic congenital intracranial immature teratoma with neoadjuvant chemotherapy and surgery

Congenital intracranial immature teratomas carry a dismal prognosis, and the usefulness of chemotherapy for these tumors has not been elucidated. The authors report on the successful management of a case of congenital intracranial immature teratoma by using neoadjuvant chemotherapy and surgery after the failure of an initial attempt at resection. The patient was an infant who had begun vomiting frequently at the age of 12 days and had been admitted to a hospital at the age of 18 days with continued vomiting, increased head circumference, and disturbance of consciousness. A CT scan of the brain revealed a large mass in his posterior fossa and hydrocephalus. Surgery was performed on an emergent basis, but only minor tumor resection could be performed due to massive intraoperative hemorrhage. The histopathological diagnosis was immature teratoma. Postoperatively, the infant was in critical condition due to severe postoperative complications, and when he was transferred to the authors' institution 43 days after birth, his respiratory condition was still unstable because of lower cranial nerve palsy. Chemotherapy with carboplatin and etoposide resulted in moderate shrinkage of the tumor. Further chemotherapy led to improvement in the patient's general condition and weight gain, which allowed for a second attempt at resection. During this second surgery, which was performed when the child was 8 months of age, after 8 courses of chemotherapy, the tumor was completely resected with little bleeding. Histological findings from the second operation were consistent with mature teratoma. This case indicates that upfront chemotherapy may be effective for the initial management of such cases. Although the objective response to the treatment was modest, chemotherapy reduced the hemorrhagic nature of the tumor, facilitated improvement of the patient's general condition, and allowed for successful resection.

Congenital intracranial immature teratoma of the lateral ventricle: a case report and review of the literature

OBJECTIVE

Congenital intracranial tumors are very rare and only account for 0.5-1.5% of all childhood brain tumors. The most common type of these tumors present at birth is teratomas, which represent 0.5% of all intracranial tumors. Most teratomas are midline tumors located predominantly in the sellar and pineal regions. In this study, we report a neonatal intracranial immature teratoma at the lateral ventricle because of its rare location.

CASE REPORT

A 3-day-old female neonate presented with a history of irritability, vomiting, and recurrent generalized clonic seizures since birth. A head computed tomographic scan and magnetic resonance imaging disclosed a large tumor filling the right lateral ventricle and extending into the ipsilateral posterior fossa. With right parieto-occipital craniotomy, large grayish-white lobulated vascular mass was encountered and total removal of tumor was performed. Histological examination revealed the diagnosis of immature teratoma.

CONCLUSION

The prognosis of congenital intracranial immature teratoma is usually poor because the lesions are extensive when they are identified. Prenatal ultrasonography is necessary for the prenatal diagnosis. Fetal magnetic resonance imaging should be made for the evaluation of intracranial tumor. If the tumor is detected before the 24 week of gestation, termination of the pregnancy should be considered.

Posterior fossa immature teratoma in an infant with trisomy 21: A case report and review of the literature

BACKGROUND

Intracranial teratoma associated with Down syndrome is rare. With only three previously reported cases, our case is the first one presenting an immature component.

CASE DESCRIPTION

A 2-month-old boy with trisomy 21 presented with lethargy and head enlargement. A magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) study showed an obstructive hydrocephalus with 0.5 cm posterior fossa tumor compressing the cerebellum. The tumor revealed a mixed intensity on T1- and T2-weighted MRI images and was surrounded by peritumoral cysts. It was heterogeneously enhancing and showed multinodular mass. The tumor was gross totally removed via suboccipital craniotomy and histologically diagnosed as immature teratoma. Four cycles of chemotherapy consisting of cisplatin and etoposide followed the surgery. The radiotherapy was withheld due to infancy. Recurrent lesions in the tumor bed were noted 10 months later. They were removed in the second surgery and histologically identified as mature teratoma.

CONCLUSION

Maturation of immature teratoma may be a result of natural conversion of multipotent embryonal cells into mature tissues and following chemotherapy.

Lumbar lipomyelomeningocele and sacrococcygeal teratoma in siblings: support for an alternative theory of spinal teratoma formation

Sacrococcygeal teratomas may arise in association with regional developmental errors affecting the caudal embryonic segments and may originate within lumbosacral lipomas. It is therefore possible that sacrococcygeal teratomas and lumbosacral lipomas represent related disorders of embryogenesis. Accordingly, the authors report the cases of 2 siblings. The first child (female) was born with a mature Altman Type III sacrococcygeal teratoma that was resected when she was a neonate. Subsequently, a younger brother was found soon after birth to have an L-4-level lipomyelomeningocele and underwent partial resection and spinal cord untethering at 4 months of age. Although familial forms of each of these conditions have been reported, this is, to the authors' knowledge, the first reported occurrence of lipomyelomeningocele and sacrococcygeal teratoma in siblings. They propose that an inherited regional tendency to developmental error affecting the caudal embryonic segments was shared by these siblings and resulted in spinal teratoma formation in one of them.

Intracranial growing teratoma syndrome following radiotherapy--an unusually fulminant course

INTRODUCTION

Residual radiologically progressive masses following multimodality treatment of malignant mixed intracranial germ cell tumors are described. Often these enlarge, and this is called the growing teratoma syndrome. A similar phenomenon during radiotherapy alone has not been described.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS

A 5-year old boy presented with features of raised intracranial pressure. Imaging revealed a posterior third ventricular mass, which was biopsied endoscopically.

RESULTS

A review of the scanty tissue was suggestive of a pineal parenchymal tumor, and hence radiation was planned. After just ten fractions, he developed rapid neurological deterioration. Repeat imaging raised a possibility of a teratomatous tumor. He underwent emergency excision. However, he had a stormy postoperative course and succumbed to deep venous infarction. Histology revealed a purely mature teratoma.

CONCLUSION

Though a growing teratoma syndrome has been described following chemotherapy, no such report while on radiation exists. Ours could be the first such reported case. We discuss the possible mechanisms with a review of the literature.

Transcortical approach to a huge pineal mature teratoma

Intracranial teratomas are rare germ cell neoplasms occurring more often during childhood. We report the case of a huge mature teratoma of the pineal region in a 10-year-old patient that was not correctly diagnosed preoperatively by stereotactic biopsy. The tumor was revealed by intracranial hypertension and a Parinaud syndrome. The tumor markers were within normal levels in the serum. A left transcortical parietal approach was used to completely resect the tumor. No adjuvant treatment was given. A complete neurological recovery was observed after the surgical procedure. Follow-up at 2 years did not show any recurrence. Pineal mature teratomas have a good prognosis, in contrast to their immature or mixed counterparts. A rigorous histological examination of the tumor samples is mandatory, in order to not omit a mixed contingent within the tumor. The treatment is exclusively surgical.

Congenital cavernous sinus cystic teratoma

Teratomas represent 0.5% of all intracranial tumors. These benign tumors contain tissue representative of the three germinal layers. Most teratomas are midline tumors located predominantly in the sellar and pineal regions. The presence of a teratoma in the cavernous sinus is very rare. Congenital teratomas are also rare, especially those of a cystic nature. To our knowledge, this would be the first case report of a congenital, rapidly growing cystic teratoma within the cavernous sinus. A three-month-old boy presented with a past medical history of easy irritability and poor oral intake. A magnetic resonance image (MRI) scan of the head disclosed a large expanding cystic tumor filling the right cavernous sinus and extending into the pterygopalatine fossa through the foramen rotunda. These scans also demonstrated a small area of mixed signal intensity, the result of the different tissue types conforming to the tumor. Heterogeneous enhancement was seen after the infusion of contrast medium. However, this was a cystic tumor with a large cystic portion. Thus, a presumptive diagnosis of cystic glioma was made. With the use of a right frontotemporal approach, extradural dissection of the tumor was performed. The lesion entirely occupied the cavernous sinus, medially displacing the Gasserian ganglion and trigeminal branches (predominantly V1 and V2). The lesion was composed of different tissues, including fat, muscle and mature, brain-like tissue. The tumor was completely removed, and the pathological report confirmed the diagnosis of a mature teratoma. There was no evidence of recurrence. Despite the location of the lesion in the cavernous sinus, total removal can be achieved with the use of standard microsurgical techniques.

Unusual presentation of an adult intramedullary spinal teratoma with diplomyelia

BACKGROUND

Spinal teratomas are rare lesions. The authors present an intramedullary spinal teratoma associated with diplomyelia.

CASE DESCRIPTION

This 34-year-old female patient presented with right lower extremity weakness, left lower extremity sensory deficit, and urinary retention. Magnetic resonance imaging showed a focally expansile, intramedullary lesion at L1-2 levels with exophytic component, which was located at the apex of diplomyelia separating the cord into equal hemicords and low-lying spinal cord ending at L3 level. Intraoperative electrophysiologic monitoring was used. Tumor was composed of both intramedullary solid/cystic parts and exophytic fatty infiltrated tissue. There was diplomyelia located caudal to intramedullary lesion and harboring an exophytic lobule at the junction of the nondiplomyelic and the diplomyelic cord. A complete removal was not accomplished because of presence of functional neural tissue within the exophytic component of the lesion. Histopathological examination revealed a mature teratoma. This is the fourth intramedullary teratoma associated with SCM to be reported in the literature.

CONCLUSIONS

Teratomas should be taken into consideration in differential diagnosis of intramedullary lesions associated with SCM. Neuroimaging is helpful, but definitive diagnosis is done by histopathological examination. Radical resection should be the aim; however, excision should be tailored according to intraoperative electrophysiologic monitoring. A truly intramedullary teratoma and an exophytic midline fatty infiltrated tissue bisecting spinal cord is another unique feature of the present case that supports the dysembryogenic origin of spinal teratomas.

Immature teratoma arising from a benign cortical abnormality

CASE REPORT

The authors report the case of an immature teratoma of the left parieto-occipital region in a 13-year-old girl. The patient had a computed tomographic (CT) scan of the brain aged 10 months old, following a minor head injury. This demonstrated an abnormality in the same region, which had been reported as 'a cortical malformation'.

DIAGNOSIS

We propose that the lesion on the original imaging is a mature teratoma or other silent dystopic germ cell element that subsequently transformed into the immature teratoma.

DISCUSSION

The potential triggers for such a transformation and the management of patients with similar incidental radiological findings are discussed.

Endoscopic biopsy interpretation difficulties in a congenital diffuse intracranial teratoma

INTRODUCTION

Congenital brain tumours are a rare entity that is nowadays often already recognised during pregnancy by ultrasound (US) and magnetic resonance (MR). Even though the definitive diagnosis is usually achieved by means of histological studies, in some cases the diagnosis may remain uncertain because of the malformative origin of this type of tumour.

CASE REPORT

We describe a patient with a diffuse congenital intracranial mass diagnosed by intrauterine US and foetal MR performed to further evaluate the lesion and the associated foetal hydrocephalus. After delivery by caesarean section, an endoscopic biopsy was performed. Several specimens were obtained and resulted in the diagnosis of primitive neuroectodermal tumour (PNET). Despite polychemotherapy, the tumour continued to enlarge and the patient died at 2 months of age. Post-mortem histological examination of the intracranial mass showed a diffuse intracranial teratoma.

CONCLUSION

Endoscopic biopsy specimen examination resulted in a diagnosis that was not confirmed by post-mortem findings. The scarce differentiation of teratoma components and their high variability in histomorphology as well as the huge size of the tumoral mass may limit the interpretation of endoscopic biopsy specimens, even when multiple and obtained from different areas.

Cerebral composite atypical teratoid/rhabdoid tumor and yolk sac tumor in the frontal lobe of an infant. Case report

A 1-year-old male infant presented with a rare cerebral composite tumor consisting of atypical teratoid/rhabdoid tumor (AT/RT) with epithelial and mesenchymal components and yolk sac tumor (YST) with Schiller-Duval bodies. He was admitted to our medical center with a 2-month history of right hemiparesis. Computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging revealed a large, intra-axial solid tumor with a cyst in the left frontal lobe. Total resection of the tumor was performed. Histological examination showed two different main growth patterns: solid sheets of undifferentiated polygonal cells and a few rhabdoid cells with rosette structures and rhabdomyoblastic cells; and reticular or papillary structures with occasional Schiller-Duval bodies in a myxoid matrix. The immunohistochemical and electron microscopy findings indicated composite AT/RT and YST. Initial total resection of the tumor was subsequently followed by local recurrence, hydrocephalus, and spinal metastasis. Despite adjuvant chemotherapy, the patient died 9 months after admission. AT/RT is a recently established entity of the central nervous system. The present case of composite AT/RT and YST in the frontal lobe indicates the poor prognosis of such tumors.

Third ventricle immature teratoma: a case report

We present the case of a 1-year-old girl with persistent vomiting who was found to have a disproportionately large immature teratoma in the third ventricle. Magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated a heterogeneous intracranial mass in the third ventricle, with a compressed left cerebral hemisphere and hydrocephalus. Bifrontal craniotomy via a transchiasmatic approach achieved total resection of the tumor. No significant neurologic deficit was seen except for double vision and disturbances in eye movement. Third ventricle immature teratoma, although extremely rare, may present as a suprasellar mass lesion and hydrocephalus. The prognosis after gross total resection is favorable; however, radiotherapy is usually postponed until 36 to 48 months of age in order to avoid complications such as stunted growth, endocrine disturbances and neuropsychologic problems.

Growing teratoma syndrome in a patient with a non-germinomatous germ cell tumor in the neurohypophysis--case report

A 16-year-old woman presented with a non-germinomatous germ cell tumor in the neurohypophysis manifesting as progressive visual disturbance, amenorrhea, hydrodipsia, and polyuria. Her serum alpha-fetoprotein and human chorionic gonadotropin levels were elevated. She experienced sudden, rapid visual deterioration and underwent emergency partial tumor removal to decompress the optic nerves. Her vision subsequently improved. Histological examination of the surgical specimens confirmed immature teratoma. She received chemotherapy (ifosphamide 900 mg/m2, cisplatin 20 mg/m2, etoposide 60 mg/m2) for 5 consecutive days. Although the tumor marker levels decreased remarkably, her vision again declined rapidly due to enlargement of the tumor after the first course of chemotherapy. A second radical operation resulted in vision improvement. The tumor specimen showed only mature teratoma elements. This phenomenon, called the growing teratoma syndrome, is very rare in intracranial non-germinomatous germ cell tumors.

Cystic mature teratoma of the filum terminale in an adult. Case report and review of the literature

Intradural spinal teratoma is a very rare entity, more prevalent in childhood, that may associate with dysraphic defects. The authors report a 46 years old man with a cauda equina syndrome and an L1-2 tumor. An L1-2 laminectomy was performed and a mass was resected at the base of the filum terminale, which was in contact with the conus medullaris. Histopathological diagnosis was of cystic mature teratoma. Spinal teratomas may be found anywhere along the spine, but are more frequent in the cauda equina. We discuss the origin of these tumors and review the literature concerning these lesions.

Pathology of pineal region tumors

Various histological types of tumors arise in the pineal region. The most common tumors are pineal parenchymal tumors and germ cell tumors. Pineal parenchymal tumors are divided into pineocytoma, pineal parenchymal tumor with intermediate differentiation and pineoblastoma. Pineocytomas are well-differentiated tumors and retain the morphological and immunohistochemical features of pineal parenchymal cells. Lobular architectures and pineocytomatous rosettes are also typical features. In contrast, pineoblastomas are embryonal tumors resembling primitive neuroectodermal tumors (PNET). However, pineoblastomas are distinct from PNET in other sites due to their exhibiting photosensory differentiation including Flexner-Wintersteiner rosettes and fleurettes. Although pineal cysts are tumor-like lesions, and not true neoplasms, they are occasionally difficult to distinguish from pineocytoma and astrocytoma. From the therapeutic aspect, a precise differential diagnosis is critical. The pineal region is the most common site of the brain in which germ cell tumors occur. Germinoma, teratoma, embryonal carcinoma, yolk sac tumor and choriocarcinoma are encountered, and the latter three types of tumors usually constitute elements of mixed germ cell tumors. The morphological and immunohistochemical features of intracranial germ cell tumors are very similar to those of gonadal germ cell tumors, although there are some differences in germinoma. Pineal germinoma may exhibit carcinomatous differentiation. Other types of tumors are occasionally observed, including fibrillary and pilocytic astrocytoma, glioblastoma, ependymoma, melanoma, meningioma and so on. Metastatic pineal tumors are also rare. The most common site of origin for pineal metastasis is the lung.

Teratomas of the central nervous system: treatment considerations based on 34 cases

OBJECT

The optimum clinical management of central nervous system (CNS) teratomas, particularly postsurgical adjuvant therapy, is still unclear, partly as a result of the tumors' low incidence. In this study the authors analyze 34 cases of CNS teratomas so that they may adequately indicate management of these lesions.

METHODS

The median age of the 34 patients was 13 years. Twenty-seven patients treated between 1970 and 1991 were retrospectively reviewed. Four of these 27 patients died as a result of radical surgery; each of them had a teratoma involving the hypothalamus. After initial treatment, which included radiation therapy, 20 patients (48%) had died. In all seven cases of mature teratomas there was no recurrence. In two cases of immature teratomas in which there was complete surgical resection there was recurrence; however, salvage therapies were effective. Seven of eight patients with highly malignant teratomas died; for these patients salvage therapies, including repeated radiation and chemotherapy, failed. Seven patients who presented with CNS teratomas between 1992 and 1996 received adjuvant chemotherapy and radiation therapy according to a prospective study protocol. All seven patients were free from recurrence with a 70 to 100% Karnofsky Performance Scale score at a median follow-up period of 41 months. Patients with CNS teratomas rarely responded completely to chemotherapy or radiation therapy; an effective adjuvant therapy produced a partial response at best.

CONCLUSIONS

Because teratomas show various responses to adjuvant therapy, a misdiagnosis of their histological subtype will lead to inadequate therapy. A diverse therapeutic protocol based on histological diagnosis is necessary to plan appropriate management. Treatment recommendations are discussed in detail in the article.

Intradural spinal teratoma: evidence for a dysembryogenic origin. Report of four cases

Intradural spinal teratoma is a rare tumor that can be associated with dysraphic defects. Although the origin of these tumors is traditionally thought to be secondary to primordial germ cells misplaced early in embryogenesis, the pathogenesis of intraspinal teratoma remains unclear. The authors present a series of patients in whom an intradural teratoma arose at the same site as a developmental spinal cord abnormality, including a split cord malformation, myelomeningocele, and lipomyelomeningocele. It is postulated that these lesions were the result of a dysembryogenic mechanism and were not neoplastic.