A 33-year-old chinese woman with a left frontal tumor

Abstract

Rhabdoid tumor cells are typically observed in atypical teratoid/rhabdoid tumor (AT/RT) but may also be seen in meningioma, glioma, melanoma, rhabdomyosarcoma and metastatic carcinoma. We present an astroblastoma with unusual rhabdoid features which is rarely described in the English literature. Apart from the rhabdoid tumor cells, all the histopathological features typical for astroblastoma are present in this case. These features include pseudopapillary arrangement, astroblastic pseudorosettes, perivascular hyalinization and calcifications, absence of fibrillary background and a pushing tumor border. The tumor cells display a multilineage immunohistochemical profile. In addition, diffuse and strong membranous and cytoplasmic dot-like pattern is appreciated with epithelial membrane antigen (EMA). The diagnosis of astroblastoma is also well supported by the age of presentation, anatomical location and radiological features of the tumor. We believe that on top of the above-mentioned unusual tumors with rhabdoid cells, astroblastoma should also be considered in the list of differential diagnosis. © 2009 The Authors.