Unusual Presentation of Brain Tumor in a Child: A Case Report

Mahmoud Alhandi Omar Helal; Mohammed Al-Amri; Mahmoud Alrifaai; Shaikha Al-Thani; Bashir Youssef; Lujain Loay; Abdulrahman Siddig; Hanan Eldesouky Eltomy

doi:doi:10.11648/j.ajp.20230902.12

Unusual Presentation of Brain Tumor in a Child: A Case Report

Mahmoud Alhandi Omar Helal, Mohammed Al-Amri, Mahmoud Alrifaai, Shaikha Al-Thani, Bashir Youssef, Lujain Loay, Abdulrahman Siddig, Hanan Eldesouky Eltomy

Published in American Journal of Pediatrics (Volume 9, Issue 2)

Received: 20 March 2023 Accepted: 17 April 2023 Published: 27 April 2023

Views: Downloads:

Download PDF

Share This Article

Twitter
Linked In
Facebook

Abstract

The most popular type of neurological tumor in childhood is medulloblastoma, which is the most malignant neoplasm of the posterior fossa and cerebellum. Central nervous system neoplasms can cause symptoms and signs due to local invasion, compression of normal structures, and increased intracranial pressure by either a mass effect or obstruction of cerebrospinal fluid flow, resulting in hydrocephalus. Usually, headache is the most common symptom of central nervous system tumors, and the median duration between symptoms beginning and diagnosis of brain tumors in children ranges from 2.5 to 3.5 months. Furthermore, several predisposing factors for brain tumors have been identified such as Epstein–Barr virus infection, exposure to ionizing radiation, and inherited diseases. Recently, the advances in diagnosis and treatment have improved the survival of many children with neurological neoplasms. However, this therapy is associated with long-term complications, and its prognosis remains poor. We present the case of a 4-year-old girl with adequate neuropsychomotor development who presented to the pediatric emergency center with a 14-day history of headache, which was prominent in the morning, neck, back, and bilateral leg pain two days prior to presentation. Brain and Spine Magnetic resonance imaging revealed a cerebellar mass lesion in the posterior fossa. The patient underwent surgery, followed by histopathological and immunohistochemical staining. This case is considered rare and distinctive because the symptoms included only headache for two weeks, no impaired vision, no vomiting, no mental disorders, no abnormal gait, and no ataxia or body imbalance. We report this case to focus on the features of the manifestation and hence increase the chances of timely diagnosis in the future. Consequently, the probability of central nervous system tumors should always be considered in children with headache, and they must be under regular follow-up for early diagnosis and treatment.

Published in	American Journal of Pediatrics (Volume 9, Issue 2)
DOI	10.11648/j.ajp.20230902.12
Page(s)	63-67
Creative Commons	This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright	Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Childhood Tumor, Brain Tumor, Medulloblastoma, Malignancy in Children, Pediatric Cancer

References

[1]	Li BK, Al-Karmi S, Huang A, Bouffet E. Pediatric embryonal brain tumors in the molecular era. Expert Rev Mol Diagn 2020; 20: 293-303.
[2]	Pollack IF, Agnihotri S, Broniscer A. Childhood brain tumors: current management, biological insights, and future directions. J Neurosurg Pediatr 2019; 23: 261-73.
[3]	Ostrom QT, Gittleman H, Truitt G, Boscia A, Kruchko C, Barnholtz-Sloan JS. CBTRUS statistical report: primary brain and other central nervous system tumors diagnosed in the United States in 2011– 2015. Neuro Oncol 2018; 20: Suppl 4: iv1-iv86.
[4]	Patel S, Bhatnagar A, Wear C, et al. Are pediatric brain tumors on the rise in the USA? Significant incidence and survival findings from the SEER database analysis. Childs Nerv Syst 2014; 30: 147-54.
[5]	Malbari F, Lindsay H. Genetics of common pediatric brain tumors. Pediatr Neurol 2020; 104: 3-12.
[6]	Packer RJ, Cogen P, Vezina G, Rorke LB. Medulloblastoma: clinical and biologic aspects. Neuro Oncol 1999; 1: 232-50.
[7]	Millard NE, De Braganca KC. Medulloblastoma. J Child Neurol 2016; 31: 1341-53.
[8]	Taylor MD, Northcott PA, Korshunov A, et al. Molecular subgroups of medulloblastoma: the current consensus. Acta Neuropathol 2012; 123: 465-72.
[9]	Rutkowski S, von Hoff K, Emser A, et al. Survival and prognostic factors of early childhood medulloblastoma: an international meta-analysis. J Clin Oncol 2010; 28: 4961-8.
[10]	Wilne SH, Ferris RC, Nathwani A, Kennedy CR. The presenting features of brain tumours: a review of 200 cases. Arch Dis Child 2006; 91: 502.
[11]	Wilne S, Collier J, Kennedy C, et al. Presentation of childhood CNS tumours: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Lancet Oncol 2007; 8: 685.
[12]	Wilne SH, Dineen RA, Dommett RM, et al. Identifying brain tumours in children and young adults. BMJ 2013; 347: f5844.
[13]	Wilne S, Koller K, Collier J, et al. The diagnosis of brain tumours in children: a guideline to assist healthcare professionals in the assessment of children who may have a brain tumour. Arch Dis Child 2010; 95: 534.
[14]	Braganza MZ, Kitahara CM, Berrington de González A, et al. Ionizing radiation and the risk of brain and central nervous system tumors: A systematic review. Neuro Oncol 2012; 14: 1316.
[15]	Rothman KJ, Chou CK, Morgan R, et al. Assessment of cellular telephone and other radio frequency exposure for epidemiologic research. Epidemiology 1996; 7: 291.
[16]	Myung SK, Ju W, McDonnell DD, et al. Mobile phone use and risk of tumors: a meta-analysis. J Clin Oncol 2009; 27: 5565.
[17]	Corle C, Makale M, Kesari S. Cell phones and glioma risk: a review of the evidence. J Neurooncol 2012; 106: 1.
[18]	IARC monographs on the evaluation of carcinogenic risks to humans, IARC, Lyon 2013. Vol 102.
[19]	Inskip PD, Mellemkjaer L, Gridley G, Olsen JH. Incidence of intracranial tumors following hospitalization for head injuries (Denmark). Cancer Causes Control 1998; 9: 109.
[20]	Choi NW, Schuman LM, Gullen WH. Epidemiology of primary central nervous system neoplasms. II. Case-control study. Am J Epidemiol 1970; 91: 467.
[21]	Amirian ES, Zhou R, Wrensch MR, et al. Approaching a Scientific Consensus on the Association between Allergies and Glioma Risk: A Report from the Glioma International Case-Control Study. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2016; 25: 282.
[22]	Ostrom QT, Adel Fahmideh M, Cote DJ, et al. Risk factors for childhood and adult primary brain tumors. Neuro Oncol 2019; 21: 1357.
[23]	Schlehofer B, Blettner M, Preston-Martin S, et al. Role of medical history in brain tumour development. Results from the international adult brain tumour study. Int J Cancer 1999; 82: 155.
[24]	Preston-Martin S, Mack WJ. Neoplasms of the nervous system. In: Cancer Epidemiology and Prevention, 2nd ed, Shottenfeld D, Fraumeni JF (Eds), Oxford University Press, New York 1996.
[25]	Bondy ML, Lustbader ED, Buffler PA, et al. Genetic epidemiology of childhood brain tumors. Genet Epidemiol 1991; 8: 253.

Cite This Article

Plain Text BibTeX RIS

APA Style

Mahmoud Alhandi Omar Helal, Mohammed Al-Amri, Mahmoud Alrifaai, Shaikha Al-Thani, Bashir Youssef, et al. (2023). Unusual Presentation of Brain Tumor in a Child: A Case Report. American Journal of Pediatrics, 9(2), 63-67. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajp.20230902.12

Copy | Download

ACS Style

Mahmoud Alhandi Omar Helal; Mohammed Al-Amri; Mahmoud Alrifaai; Shaikha Al-Thani; Bashir Youssef, et al. Unusual Presentation of Brain Tumor in a Child: A Case Report. Am. J. Pediatr. 2023, 9(2), 63-67. doi: 10.11648/j.ajp.20230902.12

Copy | Download

AMA Style

Mahmoud Alhandi Omar Helal, Mohammed Al-Amri, Mahmoud Alrifaai, Shaikha Al-Thani, Bashir Youssef, et al. Unusual Presentation of Brain Tumor in a Child: A Case Report. Am J Pediatr. 2023;9(2):63-67. doi: 10.11648/j.ajp.20230902.12

Copy | Download

@article{10.11648/j.ajp.20230902.12,
  author = {Mahmoud Alhandi Omar Helal and Mohammed Al-Amri and Mahmoud Alrifaai and Shaikha Al-Thani and Bashir Youssef and Lujain Loay and Abdulrahman Siddig and Hanan Eldesouky Eltomy},
  title = {Unusual Presentation of Brain Tumor in a Child: A Case Report},
  journal = {American Journal of Pediatrics},
  volume = {9},
  number = {2},
  pages = {63-67},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ajp.20230902.12},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajp.20230902.12},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ajp.20230902.12},
  abstract = {The most popular type of neurological tumor in childhood is medulloblastoma, which is the most malignant neoplasm of the posterior fossa and cerebellum. Central nervous system neoplasms can cause symptoms and signs due to local invasion, compression of normal structures, and increased intracranial pressure by either a mass effect or obstruction of cerebrospinal fluid flow, resulting in hydrocephalus. Usually, headache is the most common symptom of central nervous system tumors, and the median duration between symptoms beginning and diagnosis of brain tumors in children ranges from 2.5 to 3.5 months. Furthermore, several predisposing factors for brain tumors have been identified such as Epstein–Barr virus infection, exposure to ionizing radiation, and inherited diseases. Recently, the advances in diagnosis and treatment have improved the survival of many children with neurological neoplasms. However, this therapy is associated with long-term complications, and its prognosis remains poor. We present the case of a 4-year-old girl with adequate neuropsychomotor development who presented to the pediatric emergency center with a 14-day history of headache, which was prominent in the morning, neck, back, and bilateral leg pain two days prior to presentation. Brain and Spine Magnetic resonance imaging revealed a cerebellar mass lesion in the posterior fossa. The patient underwent surgery, followed by histopathological and immunohistochemical staining. This case is considered rare and distinctive because the symptoms included only headache for two weeks, no impaired vision, no vomiting, no mental disorders, no abnormal gait, and no ataxia or body imbalance. We report this case to focus on the features of the manifestation and hence increase the chances of timely diagnosis in the future. Consequently, the probability of central nervous system tumors should always be considered in children with headache, and they must be under regular follow-up for early diagnosis and treatment.},
 year = {2023}
}

Copy | Download

TY  - JOUR
T1  - Unusual Presentation of Brain Tumor in a Child: A Case Report
AU  - Mahmoud Alhandi Omar Helal
AU  - Mohammed Al-Amri
AU  - Mahmoud Alrifaai
AU  - Shaikha Al-Thani
AU  - Bashir Youssef
AU  - Lujain Loay
AU  - Abdulrahman Siddig
AU  - Hanan Eldesouky Eltomy
Y1  - 2023/04/27
PY  - 2023
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajp.20230902.12
DO  - 10.11648/j.ajp.20230902.12
T2  - American Journal of Pediatrics
JF  - American Journal of Pediatrics
JO  - American Journal of Pediatrics
SP  - 63
EP  - 67
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2472-0909
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajp.20230902.12
AB  - The most popular type of neurological tumor in childhood is medulloblastoma, which is the most malignant neoplasm of the posterior fossa and cerebellum. Central nervous system neoplasms can cause symptoms and signs due to local invasion, compression of normal structures, and increased intracranial pressure by either a mass effect or obstruction of cerebrospinal fluid flow, resulting in hydrocephalus. Usually, headache is the most common symptom of central nervous system tumors, and the median duration between symptoms beginning and diagnosis of brain tumors in children ranges from 2.5 to 3.5 months. Furthermore, several predisposing factors for brain tumors have been identified such as Epstein–Barr virus infection, exposure to ionizing radiation, and inherited diseases. Recently, the advances in diagnosis and treatment have improved the survival of many children with neurological neoplasms. However, this therapy is associated with long-term complications, and its prognosis remains poor. We present the case of a 4-year-old girl with adequate neuropsychomotor development who presented to the pediatric emergency center with a 14-day history of headache, which was prominent in the morning, neck, back, and bilateral leg pain two days prior to presentation. Brain and Spine Magnetic resonance imaging revealed a cerebellar mass lesion in the posterior fossa. The patient underwent surgery, followed by histopathological and immunohistochemical staining. This case is considered rare and distinctive because the symptoms included only headache for two weeks, no impaired vision, no vomiting, no mental disorders, no abnormal gait, and no ataxia or body imbalance. We report this case to focus on the features of the manifestation and hence increase the chances of timely diagnosis in the future. Consequently, the probability of central nervous system tumors should always be considered in children with headache, and they must be under regular follow-up for early diagnosis and treatment.
VL  - 9
IS  - 2
ER  -

Copy | Download

Author Information

Mahmoud Alhandi Omar Helal

Division of Pediatric Emergency Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha, Qatar
Mohammed Al-Amri

Division of Pediatric Emergency Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha, Qatar
Mahmoud Alrifaai

Division of Pediatric Emergency Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha, Qatar
Shaikha Al-Thani

Faculty of Medicine, Weill Cornell University, Doha, Qatar
Bashir Youssef

Division of Pediatric Emergency Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha, Qatar
Lujain Loay

Division of Pediatric Emergency Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha, Qatar
Abdulrahman Siddig

Pediatric Department, Sidra Hospital, Doha, Qatar
Hanan Eldesouky Eltomy

Division of Pediatric Emergency Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha, Qatar

Download PDF

Sections

Plain Text BibTeX RIS

APA Style

Mahmoud Alhandi Omar Helal, Mohammed Al-Amri, Mahmoud Alrifaai, Shaikha Al-Thani, Bashir Youssef, et al. (2023). Unusual Presentation of Brain Tumor in a Child: A Case Report. American Journal of Pediatrics, 9(2), 63-67. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajp.20230902.12

Copy | Download

ACS Style

Mahmoud Alhandi Omar Helal; Mohammed Al-Amri; Mahmoud Alrifaai; Shaikha Al-Thani; Bashir Youssef, et al. Unusual Presentation of Brain Tumor in a Child: A Case Report. Am. J. Pediatr. 2023, 9(2), 63-67. doi: 10.11648/j.ajp.20230902.12

Copy | Download

AMA Style

Mahmoud Alhandi Omar Helal, Mohammed Al-Amri, Mahmoud Alrifaai, Shaikha Al-Thani, Bashir Youssef, et al. Unusual Presentation of Brain Tumor in a Child: A Case Report. Am J Pediatr. 2023;9(2):63-67. doi: 10.11648/j.ajp.20230902.12

Copy | Download

@article{10.11648/j.ajp.20230902.12,
  author = {Mahmoud Alhandi Omar Helal and Mohammed Al-Amri and Mahmoud Alrifaai and Shaikha Al-Thani and Bashir Youssef and Lujain Loay and Abdulrahman Siddig and Hanan Eldesouky Eltomy},
  title = {Unusual Presentation of Brain Tumor in a Child: A Case Report},
  journal = {American Journal of Pediatrics},
  volume = {9},
  number = {2},
  pages = {63-67},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ajp.20230902.12},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajp.20230902.12},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ajp.20230902.12},
  abstract = {The most popular type of neurological tumor in childhood is medulloblastoma, which is the most malignant neoplasm of the posterior fossa and cerebellum. Central nervous system neoplasms can cause symptoms and signs due to local invasion, compression of normal structures, and increased intracranial pressure by either a mass effect or obstruction of cerebrospinal fluid flow, resulting in hydrocephalus. Usually, headache is the most common symptom of central nervous system tumors, and the median duration between symptoms beginning and diagnosis of brain tumors in children ranges from 2.5 to 3.5 months. Furthermore, several predisposing factors for brain tumors have been identified such as Epstein–Barr virus infection, exposure to ionizing radiation, and inherited diseases. Recently, the advances in diagnosis and treatment have improved the survival of many children with neurological neoplasms. However, this therapy is associated with long-term complications, and its prognosis remains poor. We present the case of a 4-year-old girl with adequate neuropsychomotor development who presented to the pediatric emergency center with a 14-day history of headache, which was prominent in the morning, neck, back, and bilateral leg pain two days prior to presentation. Brain and Spine Magnetic resonance imaging revealed a cerebellar mass lesion in the posterior fossa. The patient underwent surgery, followed by histopathological and immunohistochemical staining. This case is considered rare and distinctive because the symptoms included only headache for two weeks, no impaired vision, no vomiting, no mental disorders, no abnormal gait, and no ataxia or body imbalance. We report this case to focus on the features of the manifestation and hence increase the chances of timely diagnosis in the future. Consequently, the probability of central nervous system tumors should always be considered in children with headache, and they must be under regular follow-up for early diagnosis and treatment.},
 year = {2023}
}

Copy | Download

TY  - JOUR
T1  - Unusual Presentation of Brain Tumor in a Child: A Case Report
AU  - Mahmoud Alhandi Omar Helal
AU  - Mohammed Al-Amri
AU  - Mahmoud Alrifaai
AU  - Shaikha Al-Thani
AU  - Bashir Youssef
AU  - Lujain Loay
AU  - Abdulrahman Siddig
AU  - Hanan Eldesouky Eltomy
Y1  - 2023/04/27
PY  - 2023
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajp.20230902.12
DO  - 10.11648/j.ajp.20230902.12
T2  - American Journal of Pediatrics
JF  - American Journal of Pediatrics
JO  - American Journal of Pediatrics
SP  - 63
EP  - 67
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2472-0909
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajp.20230902.12
AB  - The most popular type of neurological tumor in childhood is medulloblastoma, which is the most malignant neoplasm of the posterior fossa and cerebellum. Central nervous system neoplasms can cause symptoms and signs due to local invasion, compression of normal structures, and increased intracranial pressure by either a mass effect or obstruction of cerebrospinal fluid flow, resulting in hydrocephalus. Usually, headache is the most common symptom of central nervous system tumors, and the median duration between symptoms beginning and diagnosis of brain tumors in children ranges from 2.5 to 3.5 months. Furthermore, several predisposing factors for brain tumors have been identified such as Epstein–Barr virus infection, exposure to ionizing radiation, and inherited diseases. Recently, the advances in diagnosis and treatment have improved the survival of many children with neurological neoplasms. However, this therapy is associated with long-term complications, and its prognosis remains poor. We present the case of a 4-year-old girl with adequate neuropsychomotor development who presented to the pediatric emergency center with a 14-day history of headache, which was prominent in the morning, neck, back, and bilateral leg pain two days prior to presentation. Brain and Spine Magnetic resonance imaging revealed a cerebellar mass lesion in the posterior fossa. The patient underwent surgery, followed by histopathological and immunohistochemical staining. This case is considered rare and distinctive because the symptoms included only headache for two weeks, no impaired vision, no vomiting, no mental disorders, no abnormal gait, and no ataxia or body imbalance. We report this case to focus on the features of the manifestation and hence increase the chances of timely diagnosis in the future. Consequently, the probability of central nervous system tumors should always be considered in children with headache, and they must be under regular follow-up for early diagnosis and treatment.
VL  - 9
IS  - 2
ER  -

Copy | Download