Pleomorphic xanthoastrocytoma and desmoplastic infantile ganglioglioma--have these neoplasms a common origin?

Abstract

We report a case of a 24-year-old woman with left temporal pleomorphic xanthoastrocytoma (PXA) with atypical neuronal cells. Many neoplastic cells, otherwise typical of PXA, expressed glial fibrillary acidic protein, while neuronal cells with marked atypia were immunopositive for synaptophysin and neurofilament protein. This report supports a notion that PXA, like other astrocytic tumors, may has its gangliogliomatous counterpart as superficial cerebral astrocytoma of infancy has it in desmoplastic infantile ganglioglioma.