Low-Grade Gliomas in Patients with Noonan Syndrome: Case-Based Review of the Literature

Noonan syndrome (NS) is a congenital autosomic dominant condition characterized by a variable spectrum from a clinical and genetical point of view. Germline mutations in more than ten genes involved in RAS–MAPK signal pathway have been demonstrated to cause the disease. An higher risk for leukemia a...

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Main Authors: Mariachiara Lodi, Luigi Boccuto, Andrea Carai, Antonella Cacchione, Evelina Miele, Giovanna Stefania Colafati, Francesca Diomedi Camassei, Luca De Palma, Alessandro De Benedictis, Elisabetta Ferretti, Giuseppina Catanzaro, Agnese Pò, Alessandro De Luca, Martina Rinelli, Francesca Romana Lepri, Emanuele Agolini, Marco Tartaglia, Franco Locatelli, Angela Mastronuzzi
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2020-08-01
Series:Diagnostics
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4418/10/8/582
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Summary:Noonan syndrome (NS) is a congenital autosomic dominant condition characterized by a variable spectrum from a clinical and genetical point of view. Germline mutations in more than ten genes involved in RAS–MAPK signal pathway have been demonstrated to cause the disease. An higher risk for leukemia and solid malignancies, including brain tumors, is related to NS. A review of the published literature concerning low grade gliomas (LGGs) in NS is presented. We described also a 13-year-old girl with NS associated with a recurrent mutation in <i>PTPN11</i>, who developed three different types of brain tumors, i.e., an optic pathway glioma, a glioneuronal neoplasm of the left temporal lobe and a cerebellar pilocytic astrocytoma. Molecular characterization of the glioneuronal tumor allowed to detect high levels of phosphorylated MTOR (pMTOR); therefore, a therapeutic approach based on an mTOR inhibitor (everolimus) was elected. The treatment was well tolerated and proved to be effective, leading to a stabilization of the tumor, which was surgical removed. The positive outcome of the present case suggests considering this approach for patients with RASopathies and brain tumors with hyperactivated MTOR signaling.
ISSN:2075-4418