Pleomorphic xanthoastrocytoma: report of 5 cases

Five cases of pleomorphic xanthoastrocytoma are described. The favorable prognosis of these tumors is confirmed. Thus, two patients had postoperative survival of 9 and 12 years, respectively, and three others are still alive and well, one of them 6 years after the operation. All the cases described until now (17 including the ones described here) have involved patients under 30 years of age. Most of the tumors have been located superficially in the brain with extensive adhesions to the meninges. Usually they have been well demarcated from the brain. Histologically, the tumors showed a marked cellular pleomorphism, including bizarre giant cells, but there were few mitoses and only a slight tendency to necrosis. The tumor tissue contained a dense network of reticulin fibers and many cells contained lipid vacuoles. Glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) was demonstrated in the cytoplasm of the tumor cells.