title: Perinatal (fetal and neonatal) astrocytoma: a review.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The purpose of this review is to document the various types of astrocytoma that occur in the fetus and neonate, their locations, initial findings, pathology, and outcome. Data are presented that show which patients are likely to survive or benefit from treatment compared with those who are unlikely to respond.
  
  
  METHODS
  One hundred one fetal and neonatal tumors were collected from the literature for study.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Macrocephaly and an intracranial mass were the most common initial findings. Overall, hydrocephalus and intracranial hemorrhage were next. Glioblastoma (GBM) was the most common neoplasm followed in order by subependymal giant cell astrocytoma (SEGA), low-grade astrocytoma, anaplastic astrocytoma, and desmoplastic infantile astrocytoma (DIA). Tumors were detected most often toward the end of the third trimester of pregnancy.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A number of patients were considered inoperable since their tumor occupied much of the intracranial cavity involving large areas of the brain. High-grade astrocytomas were more common than low-grade ones in this review. Fetuses and neonates with astrocytoma have a mixed prognosis ranging from as low as 20 % (GBM) to a high of 90 %. The overall survival was 47/101 or 46 %.
authors: Departments of Pathology, Rady Children's Hospital, San Diego, CA, USA. hisaacs@ucsd.edu.|University of California San Diego School of Medicine, La Jolla, CA, USA. hisaacs@ucsd.edu.
authors: Hart
authors: http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8272-9118
authors: H
authors: Isaacs
mesh_terms: D001254:Astrocytoma / Q000151:congenital* / Q000473:pathology*; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000151:congenital* / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D005333:Fetus; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D011247:Pregnancy
keywords: Congenital brain tumor; Fetal astrocytoma; Intracranial hemorrhage; Neonatal astrocytoma; Perinatal astrocytoma