Melanotic neuroectodermal tumors of the brain and skull

A case of melanotic neuroectodermal tumor in the cerebellum of a 21-year-old man is presented. Melanin was found mainly in small neoplastic cells rather than in large epithelioid cells. The tumor also contained neurons, as well as neoplastic tissue of ependyma, choroid plexus; and astrocytes. We propose that this neuroectodermal tumor resulted from a combination of cells originating in the neural crest and in the neural tube. The small cells have been described as medulloblasts, but they may be poorly differentiated ependymal cells, or, sympathicoblasts. The presence of pigment in these cells is compatible with an origin in the neural crest. The so-called melanotic progonoma, occurring most often in the maxilla of infants, is reviewed in relation to the melanotic neuroectodermal tumor of the brain. The tumor in facial bone occurs in adults as well as infants, in locations other than the maxilla, and has malignant forms. Melanotic neuroectodermal tumors, whether in brain or bone, are therefore similar in behavior as well as histologic appearance. The finding of similar tumors in these different locations is readily explained embryologically.