Meningeal melanocytoma of the central nervous system in children.

Purpose: This study aimed to summarize the existing English-language literature on central nervous system (CNS) meningeal melanocytomas in children, and additionally describe our institutional case report.

Methods: PubMed database was screened on September 2, 2024, for English-language papers reporting on pediatric patients with CNS meningeal melanocytoma.

Results: A total of 17 papers reporting on 18 patients with 19 CNS meningeal melanocytomas were found in the literature.

The EMT status in the primary tumor of adamantinomatous craniopharyngioma predict postoperative recurrence in children.

Introduction: Adamantinomatous craniopharyngiomas (ACP) are rare epithelial tumors, which by the WHO are classified as non-malignant tumors. Despite radical tumor regression, almost 57% of patients develop a craniopharyngioma recurrence. The pathogenesis of epithelial cancers involves a process called epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), which is involved in tumor progression and its invasion, and the loss of E-cadherin is crucial for this process.

The CD44s Isoform is a Potential Biomarker for Predicting Craniopharyngioma Recurrence in Children.

Adamantinomatous craniopharyngioma (ACP) is an intracranial tumor considered partly malignant due to its ability to infiltrate surrounding structures and tendency to relapse despite radical resection. CD44 is a known stem cell marker in ACP and is upregulated in cell clusters of invasive ACP protrusions; however, the functions of its alternative splicing isoform variants, CD44s and CD44v1-10, have not yet been studied in terms of ACP recurrence, despite their confirmed roles in cancer development and progression. In this study, we first confirmed the difference in total CD44 expression between samples from patients who experienced relapse and those from patients who did not.

Surgical management of lobar cerebral cavernous malformations in children: a single-center experience.

Purpose: We aimed to determine the surgical indications and postoperative outcomes among pediatric patients with lobar cerebral cavernous malformations (CCMs).

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed pediatric patients operated on for lobar CCM between March 2010 and August 2021. Indications for surgery included (1) intracranial hemorrhage, (2) symptomatic superficially located lesion, and (3) asymptomatic CCM in non-eloquent area in case of strong parental preferences.