Askin's tumor: 11 cases and a review of the literature

Askin's tumor is a peripheral primitive neruoectodermal tumor within the thoracopulmonary region, which primarily occurs in children and young adults. In addition, Askin's tumor is commonly misdiagnosed, as it is rare and easily mistaken for other small round-cell tumors. The present study aimed to investigate the clinical characteristics, prognostic factors and treatment outcomes of patients diagnosed with Askin's tumor. Computed tomography (CT) scans, histopathology and immunohistochemical analysis were used for diagnosis. Patients were treated with combined (surgery-chemotherapy-radiotherapy) or mono-therapy (chemotherapy or radiotherapy) methods. A total of 11 consecutive patients with Askin's tumor (aged 8-22 years) were treated at the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University between April 2010 and June 2013; nine patients underwent combined therapy and two patients were treated using mono-therapy. Chest lumps, swelling and pain were the most common presenting symptoms. Patients were followed up for ≤24 months post surgery and the results revealed that the median survival time of the combined and mono-therapy treatment groups were 15 and 7 months, respectively. Primary tumor size, metastasis, lactate dehydrogenase indicators and tumor stages were found to be important prognostic factors affecting patient outcome. In conclusion, the results of the present study demonstrated that the combination of surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy resulted in the optimal outcome for Askin's tumor patients.