[Cerebral neuroblastomas: diagnosis and treatment]

To review the literature on cerebral neuroblastomas (CN), including their anatomopathological filiation, clinical characteristics together with those they display in imaging studies, and the different therapeutic options with their prognosis.

Cerebral neuroblastomas belong to the group of primitive neuroectodermal tumours (PNET), also known as cerebral meduloblastomas or supratentorial PNET. They originate in the supratentorial compartment and histologically they are in the WHO grade IV. They display unspecific clinical features and in imaging studies they behave like solid masses with a cystic or necrotic component, often with calcifications. Microscopically they are made up of undifferentiated or poorly differentiated neuroepithelial cells. CN express synaptophysin and other neuroendocrine markers, which can only be studied by performing neuronal differentiation analyses. First choice treatment is surgery performed as radically as possible associated with chemotherapy or whole brain radiotherapy. Results vary greatly according to age and the degree to which the lesion has spread. Worse prognoses have been described for children under 2 years old than for those above that age. Survival rate at 3 years of age, including paediatric patients, is 60%.

CN are not very frequent tumours, whose clinical characteristics and those displayed by imaging techniques are unspecific. Treatment must involve radical excision associated with chemotherapy or radiotherapy.