We report a case of a 14-year-old girl with papillary glioneuronal
tumor (PGNT) in right parietal lobe. On MRI the
tumor presented as a contrast enhancing mass with small central hypodense area and consisted of areas similar to
central neurocytoma intermixed with vessels surrounded with glial cells. There were also small loose areas superficially reminding
DNT. Neurocytic component presented strong
synaptophysin immunostaining, while intermixed glial
element presented GFAP-immunopositivity. Our case is similar to previously reported PGNT, but an important difference lies in not distinct cystic formation and a presence of loose, edematous tissue. PGNT may be regarded as a variant of
ganglioglioma or as a complex variant of extraventricular
neurocytoma and belongs to a wide group of benign, dysembryoplastic or even hamartomatous
neuroepithelial tumors, which may differentiate into both, glial or neuronal direction: pleomorphic
astrocytoma may posses neurocytic differentiation, desmoplastic infantile
ganglioglioma may be regarded as complex superficial dural
astrocytoma and
DNT may present gliomatous areas (complex
DNT). Also other rare
tumors reminding
DNT have been reported:
DNT-like
neoplasm of septum pellucidum and rosetted glioneuronal
tumor. From this point of view it is important to remember that such a wide spectrum may be difficult to discriminate into very narrow clinico-pathological entities.