Infratentorial immature teratoma of congenital origin can be associated with a 20-year survival outcome: a case report and review of literature

Abstract

BackgroundCongenital intracranial tumors are very rare and account for less than 2% of all childhood brain tumors. Teratomas constitute about one third to one half of these, predominantly located midline in the supratentorial region. Posterior fossa location rarely occurs and, based on the cases reported in the literature, commonly has a poor prognosis.Case presentationA newborn female, diagnosed prenatally with hydrocephalus, is presented at birth with increasing head circumference and Parinaud’s syndrome. Magnetic resonance imaging scans demonstrated a huge posterior fossa tumor with obstructive hydrocephalus. At surgery, through a suboccipital craniotomy, complete excision was achieved of a histological-proven immature teratoma. The infant received adjuvant chemotherapy for 1 year. She had normal neurological development and remained tumor-free through her 20-year follow-up.ConclusionThe authors report this rare case of congenital posterior fossa teratoma with long-term outcome, and the literature is reviewed.

Head nodding: An unusual presentation of congenital brain tumor

“…Hydrocephalus is the most frequent initial symptom reported in the literature [5]. Signs of increased intracranial pressure such as vomiting and papilledema are common presenting symptoms [6]. Clinical diagnosis is often difficult owing to nonspecific signs; some tumors are detected incidentally which happened in the present case.…”

“…Tumor markers such as alpha-fetoprotein and β-human chorionic gonadotropin may indicate malignancy pre-operatively. The prognosis is generally poor with a very low 1-year survival rate [6]. CBTs with benign histological features and compressing brain stem or pons generally have a poor prognosis.…”

Comprehensive Clinical and Neuroimaging Review of Posterior Fossa Hemorrhage in Preterm and Term Newborns

“…10,11 Cranial ultrasound, encephalogram, head magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and head computed tomography (CT) are important tools in diagnosing PFH, with head MRI being the gold standard. [12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22] Potential mimics based on neuroimaging findings may include congenital germ cell tumor, 23 dural cavernoma, 24 teratoma, 25 and medulloblastoma. 26 The management of PFH is dependent on the etiology and severity.…”

Dentigerous Equine Teratoma in a Stallion: Surgical Management and Clinicopathology

“…Teratoma is a rare embryonic tumor that can be both benign or malignant, most often diagnosed as benign. Teratoma is composed of mature somatic tissue that is not well organized and composed of neoplastic germ cells [ 1 ] originating from all three layers of embryonic germ cells: ectoderm, mesoderm and endoderm (ex: epithelium, brain, bone, cartilage) [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 ]. In human medicine these tumors that originate from all three germ layers are also called “tridermomas”; this term is not currently used in veterinary medicine.…”