Anaplastic astroblastoma: a rare glial tumour

Abstract

Astroblastoma is a rarely diagnosed primary brain neoplasm whose histogenesis has been clarified recently. It occurs in children and young adults and presents as a well-circumscribed, contrast enhancing lesion in the cerebral hemisphere. Here the authors present a case of 25-year-old woman with an astroblastoma in the left frontal convexity that was excised. The characteristic radiological and histopathological features of this case are described. An astroblastoma should be included in the differential of a localised brain tumour, especially in a young patient.

A case of astroblastoma: Radiological and histopathological characteristics and a review of current treatment options

“…A bimodal distribution is commonly observed, with the majority of reported cases occurring in patients between 10 to 30 years of age. [4] This is in contrast to glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), meningioma, and oligodendroglioma, which affect older adults, while ependymoma and atypical teratoid rhabdoid tumor (ATRT) are often found in younger children. There is also a female predominance among patients diagnosed with astroblastoma.…”

Well-differentiated and anaplastic astroblastoma in the same patient: a case report and review of the literature

“…Lack of peritumoral edema is not uncommon. Although astroblastoma in most circumstances shows the aforementioned features, it can be confused with other brain tumors, including neuroectodermal, ependymoma, and other gliomas [1]. Moreover, depending solely upon the morphological features does not allow for differentiation between high-or low-grade tumor, which necessitates a pathological diagnosis [1,6].…”

“…Astroblastoma pathological features include short processes forming perivascular pseudorosettes, vessel hyalinization, and a fibrillar pattern [1]. The differentiation between astroblastoma and nonglial tumors can be done by immunohistochemical features that show different degrees of positivity to S-100, vimentin, and GFAP [2,10,19].…”

“…The tumor progression was reported in many cases as unpredictable; however, well-differentiated forms are less infiltrative and show lower clinical progression in terms of symptoms and complications [1]. Some authors support the use of radiation in high-grade tumors to retard their aggressive behavior although the role of radiation is not yet well-defined in astroblastoma management [8,13,21].…”

“…Astroblastoma is a rare glial tumor of uncertain origin occurring in children and adults. However, it rarely emerges as a congenital lesion or among the elderly [1,2]. Astroblastoma makes up to 3% of all glioma types [2].…”