The familial occurrence of glioma.

In a family with four children, an intracranial neoplasm developed in three of the siblings at or before the age of 12 years. Two of the tumors were hitologically verified gliomas and the third was diagnosed on ventriculography but did not have microscopic confirmation. One of the three siblings also had a presacral lipoma, and the fourth sibling developed a mediastinal cystic hydroma. There was no known history of brain tumors in any other family members, nor was there any evidence suggestive of neurofibromatosis. A careful examination of this family and an extensive review of other published cases of similar familial constellations of brain tumors reveal no definite pattern which would suggest a specific mode of inheritance. Careful documentation of familial aggregation of brain tumors is important in order to explore the genetic, environmental, demographic, and clinical features (such as associated extracranial tumors) that could serve to identify groups at high risk for the familial occurrence of brain tumors.