Desmoplastic cerebral astrocytoma of infancy: a case report.

We report a case of desmoplastic cerebral astrocytoma of infancy (DCAI), in a 7-month-old boy. DCAI belongs to a group of recently described central nervous system (CNS) tumors, which also includes desmoplastic infantile ganglioglioma (DIG), pleomorphic xanthoastrocytoma (PXA) and dysembryoplastic neuroepithelial tumor (DNT), all characterized by relatively favorable prognosis and occurring mostly in children and young adults. DCAI is a rare neoplasm arising in the cerebral hemispheres within the first two years of life, and histologically is characterized by dense fibrous desmoplasia. In our case, CT scan presents a massive partially cystic tumor of the left cerebral hemisphere with an enlargement of the ventricular system. Histologically, the tumor was composed of cells arranged in fascicles and whorls forming storiform pattern. Immunohistochemical stainings for glial fibrillary acidic protein proved glial histogenesis of this tumor, while no cells were unequivocally immunopositive for neuron specific enolase, neurofilament proteins and synaptophysin what excludes a diagnosis of DIG--a similar entity but containing also a neuronal elements. Our studies, comprising a complete clinical, radiological, histopathological and immunohistochemical data, correspond to a cases of DCAI published before and it is the first one described in Poland.