PurposeTo analyze the clinical character of giant pediatric supratentorial tumor (GPST) and explore prognostic factors.Materials and MethodsWe analyzed the clinical data comprising of 35 cases of GPST from a single center between January 2015 and December 2020. The tumor volume was measured by 3D slicer software based on preoperative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOS) was used to evaluate the short-term prognosis.ResultThe tumor volume varied from 27.3 to 632.8 ml (mean volume 129.8 ml/ median volume 82.8 ml). Postoperative histopathological types include ependymoma, pilocytic astrocytoma, choroid plexus papilloma (CPP), craniopharyngioma, primitive neuroectoderm tumor (PNET), choroid plexus carcinoma (CPC), immature teratoma, atypical teratoid rhabdoid tumor (AT/RT), anaplastic astrocytoma, and gangliocytoma. Tumors in children younger than 3 years and tumors located at the hemispheres appeared to be larger than their respective counterparts, though no statistical significance was found. A patient with giant immature teratoma died during the operation because of excessive bleeding. Postoperative complications include cerebrospinal fluid subgaleal collection/effusion, infection, neurological deficits, and seizures. The mean GOS score of patients with GPST in 6 months is 3.43 ± 1.12, and 83% of patients (29/35) showed improvement. Favorable GPST characteristics to indicated better GOS included small tumor (≤100 ml) (p = 0.029), low-grade (WHO I-II) (p = 0.001), and gross total resection (GTR) (p = 0.015). WHO grade was highly correlated with GOS score (correlation coefficient = −0.625, p < 0.001). GTR and tumor volume were also correlated (correlation coefficient = −0.428, p = 0.010).ConclusionThe prognosis of GPST is highly correlated with the histopathological type. Smaller tumors are more likely to achieve GTR and might lead to a higher GOS score. Early diagnosis and GTR of the tumor are important for GPST management.

Background: GLI-Kruppel family member 3 (GLI3), a zinc finger transcription factor of the sonic hedgehog pathway, is essential for organ development. Mutations in GLI3 cause several congenital conditions, including Pallister-Hall syndrome (PHS), which is characterized by polydactyly and hypothalamic hamartoma. Most patients are diagnosed soon after birth, and surgical removal of hypothalamic hamartoma in the very young is rarely performed because of associated risks.Case presentation: A 7-month-old boy with PHS features, including a suprasellar lesion, bifid epiglottis, tracheal diverticulum, laryngomalacia, left-handed polydactyly and syndactyly, and omental hernia was referred to our service. His suprasellar lesion was partially removed, and whole-exome sequencing was applied to the resected tumor, his peripheral blood, and blood from his parents. Histopathology confirmed the diagnosis of hypothalamic hamartoma, and molecular profiling revealed a likely pathogenic de novo variant, c.2331C>G (p. H777Q), in GLI3. Magnetic resonance imaging follow-up 1 year later showed some residual tumor, and the patient experienced normal development post operation.Conclusions: We presented a case of PHS that carries a novel GLI3 variant. Hypothalamic hamartoma showed a distinct genetic landscape from germline DNA. These data offer insights into the underlying etiology of hypothalamic hamartoma development in patients with PHS.