Supratentorial extraventricular anaplastic ependymoma presenting with repeated intratumoral hemorrhage

Brain Tumor Res Treat. 2014 Oct;2(2):81-6. doi: 10.14791/btrt.2014.2.2.81. Epub 2014 Oct 31.

Abstract

Supratentorial extraventricular anaplastic ependymomas are extremely rare. We report the case of a 23-year-old male with a supratentorial extraventricular anaplastic ependymoma that presented with repeated intratumoral hemorrhage. The patient was diagnosed with an intracerebral hematoma in the left occipital lobe and underwent operation. The hematoma did not reveal tumor cells, but a new tumor grew in the same location 5 years later. Magnetic resonance imaging showed a tumor with intratumoral hemorrhage. The patient underwent the tumor resection. Intraoperative findings showed that the tumor had no continuity with the ventricle. Histopathological examinations confirmed an anaplastic ependymoma. The spinal evaluation was unremarkable, and radiotherapy was administered to the left occipital lobe. Four years later, the tumor recurred at the cervicomedullary junction and T8-T9 levels. This case demonstrates that anaplastic ependymomas should be included in the differential diagnoses of supratentorial extraventricular tumors presenting with repeated intratumoral hemorrhage.

Keywords: Anaplastic ependymoma; Intratumoral hemorrhage; Magnetic resonance imaging; Supratentorial extraventricular.