Periventricular pleomorphic xanthoastrocytoma (PXA): an uncommon tumor at an atypical site

Xantoastrocitoma pleomórfico periventricular: um tumor incomum em localização atípica

IMAGES IN NEUROLOGY

Periventricular pleomorphic xanthoastrocytoma (PXA): an uncommon tumor at an atypical site

Xantoastrocitoma pleomórfico periventricular: um tumor incomum em localização atípica

Vinicius Trindade Gonçalves^I; Fabiano Reis^II; Luciano de Souza Queiroz^III; Verônica de Araújo Zanardi^II

^IMedicine Student, Department of Radiology,Clinics Hospital, School of Medical Sciences, State University of Campinas, Campinas SP, Brazil

^IIMD, PhD, Professor of the Department of Radiology, Clinics Hospital, School of Medical Sciences, State University of Campinas, Campinas SP, Brazil

^IIIMD, PhD, Professor of the Department of Pathology, Clinics Hospital, School of Medical Sciences, State University of Campinas, Campinas SP, Brazil

^{Correspondence}

The patient was a 15-year-old male with seizures. Di-agnostic imaging demonstrated a solid -cystic expansive lesion, centered on the white matter of the left temporo-occipital paratrigonal region, with growth into the ven-tricular system (Fig 1).

Histological analysis led to the diagnosis of pleomor-phic xanthoastrocytoma (PXA) (Fig 2).

PXA is classically a tumor with a predilection for su-perficial growth affecting young adults, and is rarely seen in paratrigonal/intraventricular locations. The tumor in this case may have arisen in and around the ventricle or from subcortical white matter.

The patient has now been followed for ten years. The tumor recurred after five years without anaplastic trans-formation. He appears to be free of disease at present.

Received 28 January 2011

Received in final form 17 February 2011

Accepted 24 February 2011

Support: VT Gonçalves receive financial support by FAPESP.

References

• 1. Crespo-Rodriguez AM, Smirniotopoulos JG, Rushing EJ. MR and CT im - aging of 24 pleomorphic xanthoastrocytomas (PXA) and a review of the literature. Neuroradiol 2007;49:307-315.
• 2. Fu YJ, Miyahara H, Uzuka T, et al. Intraventricular pleomorphic xanthoas - trocytoma with anaplastic features. Neuropathol 2010;30:443-448.
• 3. Giannini C, Scheithauer BW, Burger PC, et al. Pleomorphic xanthoastrocy-toma: what do we really know about it? Cancer 1999;85:2033-2045.
• 4. Kepes JJ, Rubinstein U, Eng LF. Pleomorphic xanthoastrocytoma: a distinc-tive meningocerebral glioma of young subjects with relatively favorable prognosis. Cancer 1979;44:1839-1852.
• 5. Koeller KK, Henry JM. From the archives of the AFIP: superficial gliomas: radiologic-pathologic correlation. RadioGraphics 2001;21:1533-1556.

Publication Dates

• Publication in this collection
  19 July 2012
• Date of issue
  June 2011