Primary intra-axial Ewing sarcoma of the central nervous system: report of a rare case with literature review

Abstract Background Primary intra-axial Ewing sarcoma (EWS) is extremely rare and a highly aggressive small blue round cell tumor in the central nervous system (CNS). We reported a case of primary intra-axial CNS-EWS in a 30-year-old male and presented an extensive literature review of CNS-EWS cases...

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Main Authors: Fikret Dirilenoğlu, Mthabisi Talent George Moyo, Aslı Kahraman
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: BMC 2023-10-01
Series:Surgical and Experimental Pathology
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1186/s42047-023-00137-x
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author Fikret Dirilenoğlu
Mthabisi Talent George Moyo
Aslı Kahraman
author_facet Fikret Dirilenoğlu
Mthabisi Talent George Moyo
Aslı Kahraman
author_sort Fikret Dirilenoğlu
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Background Primary intra-axial Ewing sarcoma (EWS) is extremely rare and a highly aggressive small blue round cell tumor in the central nervous system (CNS). We reported a case of primary intra-axial CNS-EWS in a 30-year-old male and presented an extensive literature review of CNS-EWS cases. Case presentation A 30-year-old male had been diagnosed with a grade 2 astrocytoma in the left frontal lobe a year ago and had received chemotherapy and radiotherapy. He presented with a right-sided mass, which was revealed to be a 6 cm contrast-enhancing lesion with heterogeneous hemorrhagic areas in the right frontal lobe. The patient underwent emergent craniotomy for surgical excision. Histologically, the tumor was composed of high-grade, small, blue, round cells forming trabecular islands and rosettes which were separated by fibrovascular tissues. In immunohistochemical (IHC) examination, the tumor cells were positive for CD99 and FLI-1. Fluorescence in situ hybridization analysis revealed the presence of EWSR1 gene rearrangement. The histopathological, IHC, and molecular findings were consistent with a diagnosis of EWS. Further imaging did not show evidence of another primary site. The patient was followed up without further therapy and succumbed to the disease three months after the diagnosis. Conclusion EWS is very rare but an aggressive neoplasm in the CNS. Chemoradiotherapy may promote secondary cancers but it is unclear whether the development of EWS was associated with chemoradiotherapy that our case had received for astrocytoma. EWS should be considered when diagnosing a CNS tumor that shows small, blue, round cell tumor morphology. A combination of IHC and molecular tests is required for accurate diagnosis to ensure that all patients receive the most appropriate treatment to optimize outcomes.
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spelling doaj.art-3b7d3602104d4744a6718a36d151e7712023-11-19T12:52:00ZengBMCSurgical and Experimental Pathology2520-84542023-10-01611510.1186/s42047-023-00137-xPrimary intra-axial Ewing sarcoma of the central nervous system: report of a rare case with literature reviewFikret Dirilenoğlu0Mthabisi Talent George Moyo1Aslı Kahraman2Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Near East UniversityDepartment of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Near East UniversityDepartment of Pathology, Izmir Katip Çelebi University, Ataturk Training and Research HospitalAbstract Background Primary intra-axial Ewing sarcoma (EWS) is extremely rare and a highly aggressive small blue round cell tumor in the central nervous system (CNS). We reported a case of primary intra-axial CNS-EWS in a 30-year-old male and presented an extensive literature review of CNS-EWS cases. Case presentation A 30-year-old male had been diagnosed with a grade 2 astrocytoma in the left frontal lobe a year ago and had received chemotherapy and radiotherapy. He presented with a right-sided mass, which was revealed to be a 6 cm contrast-enhancing lesion with heterogeneous hemorrhagic areas in the right frontal lobe. The patient underwent emergent craniotomy for surgical excision. Histologically, the tumor was composed of high-grade, small, blue, round cells forming trabecular islands and rosettes which were separated by fibrovascular tissues. In immunohistochemical (IHC) examination, the tumor cells were positive for CD99 and FLI-1. Fluorescence in situ hybridization analysis revealed the presence of EWSR1 gene rearrangement. The histopathological, IHC, and molecular findings were consistent with a diagnosis of EWS. Further imaging did not show evidence of another primary site. The patient was followed up without further therapy and succumbed to the disease three months after the diagnosis. Conclusion EWS is very rare but an aggressive neoplasm in the CNS. Chemoradiotherapy may promote secondary cancers but it is unclear whether the development of EWS was associated with chemoradiotherapy that our case had received for astrocytoma. EWS should be considered when diagnosing a CNS tumor that shows small, blue, round cell tumor morphology. A combination of IHC and molecular tests is required for accurate diagnosis to ensure that all patients receive the most appropriate treatment to optimize outcomes.https://doi.org/10.1186/s42047-023-00137-xEwing sarcomaCentral nervous system, intra-axialEWSR1
spellingShingle Fikret Dirilenoğlu
Mthabisi Talent George Moyo
Aslı Kahraman
Primary intra-axial Ewing sarcoma of the central nervous system: report of a rare case with literature review
Surgical and Experimental Pathology
Ewing sarcoma
Central nervous system, intra-axial
EWSR1
title Primary intra-axial Ewing sarcoma of the central nervous system: report of a rare case with literature review
title_full Primary intra-axial Ewing sarcoma of the central nervous system: report of a rare case with literature review
title_fullStr Primary intra-axial Ewing sarcoma of the central nervous system: report of a rare case with literature review
title_full_unstemmed Primary intra-axial Ewing sarcoma of the central nervous system: report of a rare case with literature review
title_short Primary intra-axial Ewing sarcoma of the central nervous system: report of a rare case with literature review
title_sort primary intra axial ewing sarcoma of the central nervous system report of a rare case with literature review
topic Ewing sarcoma
Central nervous system, intra-axial
EWSR1
url https://doi.org/10.1186/s42047-023-00137-x
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AT aslıkahraman primaryintraaxialewingsarcomaofthecentralnervoussystemreportofararecasewithliteraturereview