[Clinicopathological study of supratentorial tumors with multipotential differentiation in childhood. Primitive...

Three cases of supratentorial tumor in childhood were studied clinico-pathologically in an attempt to clarify its histological character. Case 1: A 3-year-old boy. Carotid angiogram revealed avascular lesion in the left parietal lobe. Twice operations and radiotherapy were performed. Ten months after the second operation, he died. Surgical specimen at the first operation was composed mainly of round tumor cells. The tumor tissue contained many collagen fibers. At the periphery of this tissue, medulloblastomatous areas consisting of closely aggregated hyperchromatic small round cells were found. There were perivascular rosettes and Homer Wright rosettes. In part, tubular and papillary arrangement of cells was also present. Astrocytomatous and oligodendrogliomatous structures were also present. Surgical specimens at the second operation showed the predominance of sarcomatous areas consisting of spindle-shaped cells with abundant argyrophilic fibers. Case 2: A 10-year-old girl. CT scan revealed a heterogeneous enhanced mass with a cyst and calcification in the right parietal lobe. Operation and radiotherapy were performed. Twelve months after operation, she is still alive. Most of the surgical specimens showed sarcomatous structure with abundant argyrophilic fibers. In these tissues, there were medulloblastomatous and ependymomatous features. Papillary arrangement of cells was also present. In part, there was oligodendrogliomatous structure. Case 3: A 2-year-old girl. CT scan revealed a heterogeneous enhanced mass in the right frontal lobe. The tumor tissue was composed of an aggregation of undifferentiated small round cells with Homer Wright rosettes.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)