title: Case Report of Spontaneous Resolution of a Congenital Glioblastoma.
abstract: Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is a rare, highly aggressive brain tumor associated with a poor outcome in both children and adults. Treatment usually involves a combination of surgical resection, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy, but ultimately it is incurable. Evidence suggests that congenital GBM may have a better prognosis with improved survival compared with GBM in older children. We describe the first known report of spontaneous resolution of a congenital GBM without any systemic therapy. A limited debulking procedure was performed at diagnosis, and the residual tumor underwent spontaneous resolution over the following 21 months. The patient remains in remission, with no tumor recurrence after 5 years of follow-up. Despite the tumor regressing, the patient has had an adverse neurologic outcome, with severe developmental delay and seizures. This case suggests that congenital GBM may be a separate biological entity much like neuroblastomas in infants, and therefore associated with better outcomes and even spontaneous resolution.
authors.affiliation: Kids Cancer Centre, Sydney Children's Hospital, High St, Randwick, Australia;
authors.forename: Tessa
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Davis
authors.affiliation: Anatomical Pathology Department, Prince of Wales Hospital, Barker Street, Randwick, Australia;
authors.forename: Helen
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Doyle
authors.affiliation: HMO Department of Anatomical Pathology, Sydney South West Pathology Service, Sydney, Australia;
authors.forename: Vivienne
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Tobias
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee; and.
authors.forename: David W
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Ellison
authors.affiliation: Kids Cancer Centre, Sydney Children's Hospital, High St, Randwick, Australia; School of Women's and Children's Health, University of New South Wales, Randwick, Australia d.ziegler@unsw.edu.au.
authors.forename: David S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Ziegler
mesh_terms: D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005909:Glioblastoma / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D012075:Remission, Spontaneous