Pilomyxoid astrocytoma of the cerebellar vermis in an elderly patient

BACKGROUND: Pilomyxoid astrocytoma (PMA) has recently been accepted as an aggressive variant of pilocytic astrocytoma with distinct histopathological features. PMAs have been frequently described in the pediatric population with a predilection for the hypothalamic/chiasmatic region. CASE DESCRIPTION: A 72-year-old African American male presented with 6 months of memory loss, difficulty expressing himself, and a progressively worsening gait. Magnetic resonance imaging of the brain demonstrated a heterogeneously enhancing cystic mass centered within the cerebellar vermis with mass effect on the fourth ventricle and ventriculomegaly. The patient underwent placement of a ventriculoperitoneal shunt followed by a surgical resection of the lesion, which after immunohistopathologic evaluation, was diagnosed as a World Health Organization grade II PMA. The patient refused further treatment of the lesion and expired 11 months after initial symptom presentation and 4 months after surgery. CONCLUSION: To our knowledge, this is the first report of PMA of the cerebellar vermis in a previously unreported age group. This case report describes the natural history of this type of tumor in a patient who refused adjuvant therapy following surgical resection.