Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Melanotic medulloblastoma in children

  • Case-Based Update
  • Published:
Child's Nervous System Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose

We report a case of melanotic medulloblastoma in a child. Reviewing the literature, we discuss the characteristics, therapeutic method, and prognosis of melanotic medulloblastoma in children.

Materials and methods

A 2-year-old girl was admitted with a mass located in the pineal region and presented obstructive hydrocephalus. The mass was subtotally resected through a slit-corpus–fornix approach. Thereafter, intraoperative direct third ventriculostomy was performed. The histopathological diagnosis of the mass suggested melanotic medulloblastoma.

Results

The MRI done at 4 days after surgery showed that the lateral ventricle normalized and the hydrocephalus was resolved. Thereafter, the patient underwent a Gamma Knife. The patient recovered well during the 8-month follow-up.

Conclusions

Melanotic medulloblastoma is a malignant tumor of childhood. It usually occurs at young age and might involve the vermis cerebelli, the fourth ventricle, and the pineal region. Surgery combined with radiotherapy and chemotherapy is recommended for children. But, it still requires observation to determine their long-term prognosis.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Boesel CP, Suhan JP, Sayers MP (1978) Melanotic medulloblastoma. Report of a case with ultrastructural findings. J Neuropathol Exp Neurol 37:531–543

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Dolman CL (1988) Melanotic medulloblastoma: a case report with immunohistochemical and ultrastructural examination. Acta Neuropathol (Berl) 76:528–531

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Duinkerke SJ, Slooff JL, Gabreels FJ, Renier WO, Thijssen HO, Biesta JH (1981) Melanotic rhabdomyomedulloblastoma or teratoid tumour of the cerebellar vermis. Clin Neurol Neurosurg 83:29–33

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Erdem E, Zimmerman RA, Haselgrove JC, Bilaniuk LT, Hunter JV (2001) Diffusion-weighted imaging and fluid attenuated inversion recovery imaging in the evaluation of primitive neuroectodermal tumors. Neuroradiology 43:927–933

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Fowler M, Simpson D (1962) A malignant melanin-forming tumour of the cerebellum. J Pathol Bacteriol 84:307–311

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Grill J, Sainte-Rose C, Jouvet A (2005) Treatment of medulloblastoma with postoperative chemotherapy alone: an SFOP prospective trial in young children. Lancet Oncol 6:573–580

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Kapadia SB, Frisman DM, Hitchcock CL (1993) Melanotic neuroectodermal tumor of infancy. Clinicopathological, immunohistochemical, and flow cytometric study. Am J Surg Pathol 17:566–573

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Karkuzhali P, Deiveegan K, Pari K (2005) Melanotic medulloblastoma of cerebellum: a case report. Indian J Pathol Microbiol 48:243–244

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Kubota KC, Itoh T, Yamada Y (2009) Melanocytic medulloblastoma with ganglioneurocytomatous differentiation: a case report. Neuropathology 29:72–77

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Louis DN, Ohgaki H, Wiestler OD (2007) The 2007 WHO classification of tumours of the central nervous system. Acta Neuropathol 114:97–109

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. MacDonald TJ (2008) Aggressive infantile embryonal tumors. J Child Neurol 23:1195–1204

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Packer RJ, Cogen P, Vezina G, Rorke LB (1999) Medulloblastoma: clinical and biologic aspects. Neuro Oncol 1:232–250

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Radcliffe J, Packer RJ, Atkins TE (1992) Three- and four-year cognitive outcome in children with noncortical brain tumors treated with whole-brain radiotherapy. Ann Neurol 32:551–554

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Ris MD, Packer R, Goldwein J, Jones-Wallace D (2001) Intellectual outcome after reduced-dose radiation therapy plus adjuvant chemotherapy for medulloblastoma: a Children's Cancer Group study. J Clin Oncol 19:3470–3476

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Rood BR, Macdonald TJ, Packer RJ (2004) Current treatment of medulloblastoma: recent advances and future challenges. Semin Oncol 31:666–675

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  16. Rubinstein LJ, Northfield DWC (1964) The medulloblastoma and the so-called “arachnoidal cerebellar sarcoma”. Brain 78:379–412

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. Rutkowski S, Bode U, Deinlein F (2005) Treatment of early childhood medulloblastoma by postoperative chemotherapy alone. N Engl J Med 352:978–986

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Sharma MC, Agarwal M, Suri A, Gaikwad S, Mukhopadhyay P, Sarkar C (2002) A melanotic desmoplastic medulloblastoma: report of a rare case and review of the literature. Brain Tumor Pathol 19:93–96

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Shuangshoti S (1980) Melanotic mucin-producing neuroepithelial neoplasm of mesencephalon with consideration of similar tumours in different locations. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 43:810–817

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. Sung JH, Mastri AR, Segal EL (1973) Melanotic medulloblastoma of the cerebellum. J Neuropathol Exp Neurol 32:437–445

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  21. Zanini C, Mandili G, Pulera F, Morra I (2009) Immunohistochemical and proteomic profile of melanotic medulloblastoma. Pediatr Blood Cancer 52:875–877

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neurosurgery, Affiliated Hospital of Guiyang Medical College, Guiyang, Guizhou Province, People’s Republic of China

    Wen-yan Li, Jian Liu & Hua Yang

  2. Department of Neurosurgery, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, 610041, People’s Republic of China

    Lu Ma & Qing Mao

Authors
  1. Wen-yan Li
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Lu Ma
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Jian Liu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Hua Yang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Qing Mao
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Qing Mao.

Additional information

Wen-yan Li and Lu Ma are co-first author.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Li, Wy., Ma, L., Liu, J. et al. Melanotic medulloblastoma in children. Childs Nerv Syst 27, 517–521 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00381-011-1389-x

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00381-011-1389-x

Keywords

Search

Navigation