Cerebellar primary central nervous system lymphoma: Case series report

Area of Science:

• Neuro-oncology
• Surgical Neurology
• Hematology

Background:

• Primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL) is a rare malignant hematological tumor.
• Cerebellar PCNSL is less common and challenging to diagnose due to varied imaging presentations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the role of surgery in diagnosing cerebellar PCNSL.
• To assess the effectiveness of surgical treatment for cerebellar PCNSL.

Main Methods:

• A case series of 3 patients with cerebellar PCNSL undergoing neuronavigation microsurgery.
• Postoperative management included ventricular drainage for hydrocephalus in one patient.
• All patients received adjuvant chemotherapy or radiotherapy after histological confirmation.

Main Results:

• Complete tumor resection was achieved in all cases.
• Two patients recovered well, while one died 9 months post-surgery.
• Prognosis correlated with tumor size and timely adjuvant therapy.

Conclusions:

• Surgery is crucial for confirming cerebellar PCNSL diagnosis.
• Histology revealed diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (GCB phenotype) in all patients.
• Combined surgical resection with chemo-radiation offers a viable treatment strategy.