Radiation Necrosis with Proton Therapy in a Patient with Aarskog-Scott Syndrome and Medulloblastoma

Int J Part Ther. 2021 Jul 29;8(3):58-65. doi: 10.14338/IJPT-21-00013.1. eCollection 2022 Winter.

Abstract

Purpose: Medulloblastoma is known to be associated with multiple cancer-predisposition syndromes. In this article, we explore a possible association among a patient's Aarskog-Scott syndrome, development of medulloblastoma, and subsequent brainstem radiation necrosis.

Case presentation: A 5-year-old male with Aarskog-Scott syndrome initially presented to his pediatrician with morning emesis, gait instability, and truncal weakness. He was ultimately found to have a posterior fossa tumor with pathology consistent with group 3 medulloblastoma. After receiving a gross total resection and standard proton beam radiation therapy with concurrent vincristine, he was noted to develop brainstem radiation necrosis, for which he underwent therapy with high-dose dexamethasone, bevacizumab, and hyperbaric oxygen therapy with radiographic improvement and clinical stabilization.

Conclusion: Based on several possible pathologic correlates in the FDG1 pathway, there exists a potential association between this patient's Aarskog-Scott syndrome and medulloblastoma, which needs to be investigated further. In patients with underlying, rare genetic syndromes, further caution should be taken when evaluating chemotherapy and radiation dosimetry planning.

Keywords: Aarskog-Scott syndrome; brainstem radiation necrosis; hyperbaric oxygen therapy; medulloblastoma.

Publication types

  • Case Reports