Astroblastoma: Case Report and Review of Literature

Astroblastomas are regarded as uncommon neuroepithelial tumors with an uncertain origin. These tumors primarily affect young adults and children, mainly in the cerebral hemisphere.2.8%. Because of their rarity in clinical practice and their resemblance to other glial neoplasms in terms of radiological and histopathologic appearance, astroblastomas can be prone to misdiagnosis. Case presentation: We report a 38-year-old female patient who presented with vomiting and left-sided weakness. Following a brain MRI, we observed a moderate-sized area of T2 heterogeneous hyperintensity and T1 isointensity acute intraparenchymal bleed with mild surrounding edema in the right high fronto-parietal region. The dimensions of the bleed measured approximately 4.1x3.9x3.4 cm. The MRI also revealed some areas of mild diffusion restriction and faint inhomogeneous areas of enhancement upon post-contrast imaging. Furthermore, there was evidence of mild mass effect on the right Posterior cingulate gyrus and a thin streak of flair hyperintense subarachnoid bleed. To address this condition, the patient underwent near-total resection of the lesion and evacuation of the clot through right fronto-parietal craniotomy. The diagnosis of low- grade astroblastoma was confirmed through histopathological examination combined with immunohistochemical study. Conclusion: Astroblastoma is an extremely rare primary brain tumor. Its diagnosis often poses challenges due to the astroblastic aspects found in astrocytic tumors, ependymomas, and non-neuroepithelial tumors. The histogenesis and classification of this tumor are surrounded by considerable confusion. Conducting studies to investigate tumor characteristics is difficult due to its low incidence rate