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Intracranial Orthotopic Allografting of Medulloblastoma Cells in Immunocompromised Mice
Published on: October 3, 2010
Intracranial lymphoblastic sarcoma mimicking a primary brain tumor
A Kowal-Vern1, I Almanaseer, A Bleyer
1Loyola University Medical Center, Maywood, Ill.
Pediatric Neuroscience
|January 1, 1989
Summary
A lymphoblastic sarcoma mimicked a medulloblastoma in a young girl with a history of acute lymphoblastic leukemia. This case highlights the importance of considering leukemia in patients with prior history presenting with brain tumors.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Oncology
- Neurology
- Hematology
Background:
- A 15-year-old female with a history of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) diagnosed at age 2 presented with symptoms suggestive of a brain tumor.
- The patient had a 13-year latency period post-ALL diagnosis with no evidence of central nervous system (CNS) leukemic infiltration.
- Treatment for the initial ALL included prophylactic intrathecal methotrexate and CNS irradiation.
Observation:
- A lymphoblastic sarcoma was identified, clinically mimicking a medulloblastoma on initial presentation.
- Diagnostic evaluation ruled out active leukemic infiltration in the brain despite the patient's history of ALL.
Findings:
- The case demonstrates a rare presentation of a secondary malignancy in a patient with a history of leukemia.
- The lymphoblastic sarcoma occurred in the absence of detectable CNS leukemic involvement during the long remission period.
Implications:
- This case underscores the critical need to consider recurrent or secondary leukemia as a potential cause of newly diagnosed 'brain tumors' in patients with a prior leukemia diagnosis.
- It emphasizes that the tumor's presentation and the duration of leukemia remission should not preclude the investigation of a leukemic origin.
