Ependymoblastoma with cystic change in a child

Ependymoblastoma is a rare and devastating primitive neuroectodermal tumor with ependymal differentiation. This tumor occurs very early in life and shows rapid growth and a diffuse infiltration through the leptomeningeal space. This neoplasm is characterized by uniform neuroepithelial cells, multilayered ependymal rosettes, perivascular pseudorosettes, and numerous mitotic figures. In this article, the authors report on a 4-year-old girl who was diagnosed as having an ependymoblastoma with cystic change. After a series of laboratory and imaging examinations, the left frontal solid-cystic lesion was surgically excised. Histological examinations confirmed the diagnosis of ependymoblastoma. The patient's intracranial hypertension symptoms were alleviated, and postoperative chemotherapy was performed. At the 6-month follow-up visit, MRI demonstrated evidence of relapse, and the girl died of tumor recurrence 14 months after surgery. Databases (PubMed, MEDLINE, Embase, and Web of Science) were searched for relevant articles published from 1970 to 2012; 71 eligible cases of ependymoblastoma were obtained, and 42 provided complete clinical details. Prognosis of children with ependymoblastoma is poor, and data on clinical behavior and optimal treatment strategies are lacking, but sustained remissions have been achieved after multimodal treatment according to existing literature. In this report, the clinical and histopathological features and therapeutic options of this tumor are discussed in the light of the published data. Further studies, especially those examining multimodality therapy, are needed to improve survival of children with this rare malignant CNS tumor.