Cerebellar liponeurocytoma with an unusually aggressive clinical course: case report.
OBJECTIVE
Liponeurocytomas are rare cerebellar neoplasms in adults, with benign histological features and a favorable clinical prognosis. Current clinical opinion is based on a total of less than 20 published cases and suggests that gross total resection and long-term follow-up monitoring, with possible additional surgery and radiotherapy for treatment of recurrent tumors, represent the best treatment approach for this relatively benign tumor type.


METHODS
A 51-year-old Caucasian woman presented with worsening unsteady gait and headaches, suggesting increased intracranial pressure.


METHODS
The patient underwent subtotal resection of a cerebellar liponeurocytoma, followed by fractionated radiotherapy (total dose of 54 Gy). She experienced a local recurrence of the tumor 12 months later and underwent additional surgery for removal of the cerebellar mass. A second recurrent tumor was diagnosed on magnetic resonance imaging scans 3 months later and was surgically resected. The tumor histological findings were consistently devoid of atypical features, apart from leptomeningeal invasion noted in the first surgical specimen.


CONCLUSIONS
This unusual case demonstrated an atypical clinical course of a highly aggressive and radiation-resistant tumor, despite the consistent absence of aggressive histological features. Cerebellar liponeurocytomas may not be as benign as the current literature and typical low-grade cytological and histological features suggest.
Jenkinson
Michael David
MD
Department of Neurosurgery, The Walton Centre for Neurology and Neurosurgery, National Health Service Trust, and Department of Neurological Science, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, England.
Bosma
Jark Jan Daniel
JJ
Du Plessis
Daniel
D
Ohgaki
Hiroki
H
Kleihues
Paul
P
Warnke
Peter
P
Rainov
Nikolai G
NG
D002528:Cerebellar Neoplasms / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008067:Lipoma / Q000628:therapy*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000628:therapy*; D018306:Neurocytoma / Q000628:therapy*