Intriguing Cases of Rare Malignancies of Childhood and Adolescence- A Series of Six Cases

Abstract

Intracranial teratomas constitute the majority of congenital Central Nervous System (CNS) germ cell tumours. Pure mature or immature teratomas present with giant intracranial masses that cause irreversible brain damage and impair the quality of life. Two such cases are reported here: the first involves a four-month-old female infant with a large right hemispheric lesion, and the second involves a three-month-old female infant with a similar large right hemispheric space-occupying lesion. Both underwent craniotomy but ultimately succumbed to death within a few days after the operation. Immature teratomas of the ovaries are the second most common malignant germ cell tumour following dysgerminoma, with good prognosis and excellent overall survival rates. One such case is presented here, involving a 16-year-old adolescent female with a history of irregular and painful menstruation presenting with a large abdomino-pelvic mass that was determined to be of ovarian origin through imaging studies. Alveolar Soft Part Sarcoma (ASPS) is a rare soft-tissue sarcoma with a poor prognosis, demonstrated in a 17-year-old girl who presented with a painless left thigh mass that was clinically misdiagnosed as a benign intramuscular lipoma. Another case involves a 14-year-old boy with Ewing sarcoma of the ring finger, an extremely rare hand tumour with a high potential for misdiagnosis and delayed treatment, accompanied by a focus of pulmonary metastasis. The final case involves a poorly differentiated carcinoma of the Ileum in a 17- year-old girl who was eventually lost to follow-up checkups.