title: Pediatric spinal glioblastoma of the conus medullaris: a case report of long survival.
abstract: High-grade gliomas of the spinal cord represent a rare entity in children. Their biology, behavior, and controversial treatment options have been discussed in a few pediatric cases. These tumors are associated with severe disability and poor prognosis. We report a case of a 4-year-old child diagnosed with an isolated glioblastoma multiforme of the conus medullaris. The patient underwent subtotal surgical excision, followed by adjuvant radiotherapy and oral chemotherapy. He is alive with mild neurologic deficits at 52 months after diagnosis. We describe the peculiar characteristics of this rare condition in pediatric oncology. We also provide an overview of current multidisciplinary therapeutic approaches and prognostic factors for this disease.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Hematology-Oncology, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, IRCCS, Piazza Sant'Onofrio 4, 00165, Rome, Italy. antonella.cacchione@opbg.net.
authors.forename: Antonella
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cacchione
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Hematology-Oncology, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, IRCCS, Piazza Sant'Onofrio 4, 00165, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Angela
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mastronuzzi
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Hematology-Oncology, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, IRCCS, Piazza Sant'Onofrio 4, 00165, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Maria Giuseppina
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Cefalo
authors.affiliation: Neuroradiology Unit, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, Piazza Sant'Onofrio 4, 00165, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Giovanna Stefania
authors.initials: GS
authors.lastname: Colafati
authors.affiliation: Division of Pathology, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, Piazza Sant'Onofrio 4, 00165, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Francesca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Diomedi-Camassei
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Fondazione Istituto Neurologico "Carlo Besta", IRCCS, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Michele
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rizzi
authors.affiliation: Neurosurgery Unit, Department of Neuroscience and Neurorehabilitation, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, Piazza Sant'Onofrio 4, 00165, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Alessandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: De Benedictis
authors.affiliation: Neurosurgery Unit, Department of Neuroscience and Neurorehabilitation, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, Piazza Sant'Onofrio 4, 00165, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Carai
mesh_terms: D002675:Child, Preschool; D004358:Drug Therapy; D005909:Glioblastoma / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D018714:Radiotherapy, Adjuvant; D013120:Spinal Cord Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D016896:Treatment Outcome
keywords: Children; Glioblastoma multiforme; Multidisciplinary treatment; Prognosis; Spinal cord cancer