Primary cerebral neuroblastoma in young adult

Abstract

Neuroblastoma is an embryonal malignancy of the sympathetic nervous system arising from pluripotent sympathetic cells (neuroblasts). It is the most common extracranial solid tumor in infants. Although it can arise anywhere along sympathetic chain, it is extremely unusual for neuroblastoma to present as intracranial lesion and that too in a young adult. Here, we describe a 24-year-old male presented with complaints of headache and retro-orbital pain. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain revealed a left occipital lobe mass lesion. He underwent left parieto-occipital craniotomy and near-total excision. Postoperative MRI showed minimal residual lesion. Initial histopathological examination was reported as a malignant round cell tumor. However, block and slide review with immunohistochemistry markers was suggestive of neuroblastoma. He received adjuvant radiation of 50.4 Gy in 28 fractions, followed by eight cycles of adjuvant chemotherapy with lomustine and cisplatin. At 3-year follow-up, MRI showed post-operative gliosis in left parietal lobe with no evidence of recurrence.