title: Possible involvement of brain tumour stem cells in the emergence of a fast-growing malignant meningioma after surgical resection and radiotherapy of high-grade astrocytoma: case report and preliminary laboratory investigation.
abstract: The case of a 62-year old man diagnosed with radiation-induced meningioma (RIM) after treatment for astrocytoma with an unusually short latency period of 7 months is reported. The patient first presented with a 2-month history of memory decline. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed a tumour in the left parieto-temporal lobe. Gross total resection was performed and the tumour was confirmed to be an astrocytoma. The patient received cranial radiotherapy 2 weeks later, however 7 months after radiation treatment the patient presented with headache and vomiting. MRI showed massive meningeal enhancement in the left frontal lobe, which progressively enlarged. The patient's clinical condition deteriorated and a second craniotomy was performed with complete removal of the secondary tumour, which was shown to be a malignant meningioma. Immunohistochemical staining identified CD133-positive cells in both tumours. A rare fraction of brain tumour stem cells (BTSC) was isolated from the primary astrocytoma using a serum-free culture system, suggesting that BTSC may have been involved in the rapid emergence of RIM after resection and radiation of the primary astrocytoma.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China.
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Shen
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Shen
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhou
mesh_terms: D001254:Astrocytoma / Q000473:pathology / Q000532:radiotherapy* / Q000601:surgery*; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology* / Q000556:secondary*; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D018450:Disease Progression; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008579:Meningioma / Q000473:pathology* / Q000556:secondary*; D008875:Middle Aged; D014411:Neoplastic Stem Cells / Q000473:pathology*; D013997:Time Factors; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured