Malignant disseminated chordoid meningioma in a 12-year-old child: a role for early cranial and spinal radiation treatment after subtotal resection.

CASE REPORT: We present a case of a chordoid meningioma, a tumour sub-type which comprises less than 0.5% of all meningiomas. The patient, a 12-year-old Somalian girl with a history of having had a craniotomy for a brain tumour in her native country 11 months previously, presented with seizures. Imaging revealed an isolated left frontal tumour, which at the time was felt to be a residual mass. She underwent a macroscopically complete resection of this tumour. Histology revealed it to be a grade 2 chordoid meningioma. Recurrence with additional local meningeal lesions was detected on follow-up magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) at 2 months post surgery. These were resected and she was treated with adjuvant cranial radiation treatment that resulted in non-progression of the cranial tumour on imaging 6 and 12 months post surgery. However, at 12 months post initial presentation, she re-presented with disseminated spinal disease refractory to salvage radiation treatment and succumbed to her illness.

OUTCOME: This is the first reported case of cranial radiation treatment being used to treat sub-totally resected recurrent chordoid meningioma. Whilst intra-cranial control of the tumour was achieved with this management, it did not prevent spinal progression. The authors advise a high-surveillance management strategy when treating these lesions and to employ cranial and spinal radiation treatment at the first sign of disease progression.