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Journal of Medical Case Reports
Published in: Journal of Medical Case Reports 1/2018

Open Access 01-12-2018 | Case report

Astroblastoma – a rare and challenging tumor: a case report and review of the literature

Authors: Nawal Hammas, Nadia Senhaji, My Youssef Alaoui Lamrani, Sanae Bennis, Elfaiz Mohamed Chaoui, Hind El Fatemi, Laila Chbani

Published in: Journal of Medical Case Reports | Issue 1/2018

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Abstract

Background

Astroblastoma is a controversial and an extremely rare central nervous system neoplasm. Although its histogenesis has been clarified recently, controversies exist regarding its cellular origin and validity as a distinct entity. Because of its extreme rarity and because its common features are shared with other glial neoplasms, this tumor is prone to misdiagnosis and remains challenging not only in terms of diagnosis and classification but also in the subsequent management. This case report describes a new case of astroblastoma. It discusses clinical, radiologic, pathological, and therapeutic features and differential diagnosis of this rare neoplasm, with a review of the recent literature.

Case presentation

We report the case of an 8-year-old Moroccan girl who presented with a 1-year history of epileptic seizure, headache, and decreased visual acuity. Cranial magnetic resonance imaging revealed a right occipito-temporal mass. A tumor resection was performed and histological examination combined with immunohistochemical study confirmed the diagnosis of low-grade astroblastoma.

Conclusions

Astroblastoma is a very rare primary brain tumor. Its diagnosis is often challenging because of the astroblastic aspects that can be found in astrocytic tumors, in ependymomas, and in non-neuroepithelial tumors. Considerable confusion surrounds its histogenesis and classification. The low incidence rate makes it difficult to conduct studies to examine tumor characteristics.
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Metadata
Title
Astroblastoma – a rare and challenging tumor: a case report and review of the literature
Authors
Nawal Hammas
Nadia Senhaji
My Youssef Alaoui Lamrani
Sanae Bennis
Elfaiz Mohamed Chaoui
Hind El Fatemi
Laila Chbani
Publication date
01-12-2018
Publisher
BioMed Central
Published in
Journal of Medical Case Reports / Issue 1/2018
Electronic ISSN: 1752-1947
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/s13256-018-1623-1

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