Background: Gangliogliomas are rare tumors occurring in both children and adults that are characterized by the presence of neoplastic cells resembling both neurons and glia.
Methods: The authors reviewed 18 adults patients with intracranial gangliogliomas treated at the study institutions between October 1987 and November 1995.
Results: The median age at diagnosis was 33.7 years, with a range of 21 to 55 years. Median follow-up was 37.7 months, with a range of 4 months to 13 years. Clinical manifestations among the patients included seizures (13), headache (2), ataxia (1), and hemiparesis and paresthesias (1 patient each). Tumors were located in the temporal lobe (6 patients), temporal lobe and thalamus (1 patient), frontal lobe (5 patients), cerebellum (4 patients), and insula or thalamus (1 patient each). Thirteen patients underwent gross total resection, 4 underwent incomplete resection, and 1 underwent only a stereotactic biopsy. Treatment modalities included surgery only, surgery plus radiation, and surgery plus radiation and chemotherapy. Median survival was 90.3 months, with a range of 14 months to 13 years. Three patients were dead at follow-up with a mean survival of 32.3 months. These patients showed anaplastic features in their pathology at initial surgery or surgery for recurrence.
Conclusions: In adults, gangliogliomas have a relatively favorable prognosis; however, the presence of anaplastic features predicts a worse outcome.