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Nonresective treatment of pineoblastoma: a case report
1Division of Neurosurgery, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha 68918-2035, USA.
Background:
Stereotactic biopsy followed by cytoreductive surgery and/or radiation are the standard treatment for pineoblastoma. We are reporting a patient with a relatively large pineoblastoma, who was treated with a combination of nonresective treatment modalities.
Method:
The patient is a 20-year-old woman who presented with signs and symptoms of raised intracranial pressure. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed a large tumor in the pineal region and hydrocephalus. She was emergently treated by placement of a ventriculoperitoneal shunt. Three days later she underwent a stereotactic biopsy, which showed the tumor to be pineoblastoma. She was then further treated with the following treatment modalities: permanent implantation of high activity I125 seeds, external radiation, and chemotherapy.
Results:
At 10 months' follow-up, MRI showed complete disappearance of the tumor. At 18 months' follow-up, the patient is asymptomatic, neurologically intact, and her MRI scans show no evidence of intracranial or intraspinal tumor.
Conclusions:
Though the follow-up is relatively short, the results of the nonresective approach in this patient have been excellent.