Retroperitoneal Neuroblastoma Metastatic to the Cerebellopontine Angle

Neuroblastoma is the most common extracranial solid tumor in children. Survival rates have improved because of advances in treatment with aggressive chemotherapy and autologous bone marrow transplantation. Usual sites of recurrence and/or metastases include the site of the primary tumor, residual gross disease, bones, bone marrow, liver, and lungs. Central nervous system metastases have been regarded as uncommon; however, it is being increasingly diagnosed due to prolonged overall survival rates. Herein, we describe a 3-year-old boy with stage 4 primary adrenal gland neuroblastoma that metastasized to the pyramidal bone and rapidly extended into the cerebellopontine cistern while he was in the course of therapy for idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura. He underwent an emergent debulking surgery, and the cerebellopontine angle metastatic lesion almost completely resolved after radical chemotherapy. Although our case is only the fourth case report of the metastatic cerebellopontine angle neuroblastoma in the literature, all clinicians involved in the treatment of pediatric neoplasms need to take this rare disease into consideration as a potential differential diagnosis.
Source: Neurosurgery Quarterly - Category: Neurosurgery Tags: Case Reports Source Type: research