Gualano FM, Hassoun P, Carter CL, Hanson D. Embryonal tumor with multilayered rosettes: Post-treatment maturation and implications for future therapy.
Cancer Rep (Hoboken) 2023;
6:e1812. [PMID:
36965133 PMCID:
PMC10172162 DOI:
10.1002/cnr2.1812]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2022] [Revised: 02/16/2023] [Accepted: 03/12/2023] [Indexed: 03/27/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND
Embryonal tumor with multilayered rosettes (ETMR) is a deadly grade IV pediatric brain tumor. Despite an intensive multimodal treatment approach that includes surgical resection, high-dose chemotherapy, and radiotherapy, the progression-free survival at 5 years is less than 30%.
CASE
We report a case of long-term survival in a 5-month old female with a large mass in the posterior fossa, diagnosed as ETMR, which subsequently underwent treatment-induced maturation. Prior to chemotherapy, histopathology revealed an abundance of highly proliferative, undifferentiated cells and multilayered rosette structures. Conversely, post-treatment histopathology revealed cell populations that differentiated into neuronal and ganglionic phenotypes. At 5-year follow-up, the patient remains progression-free.
CONCLUSION
This finding contributes to the few reports to date of post-treatment differentiation/maturation of ETMR cell populations, with an implication for less cytotoxic therapeutic interventions aimed at differentiation.
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