PINEAL CHORIOCARCINOMA: CASE REPORT AND LITERATURE REVIEW

Primary pineal choriocarcinoma is a very rare brain tumour. It represents only 1% of all primary intracranial neoplasms in adults, secretes human chorionic gonadotropin and has a poor prognosis. It mainly affects young males. Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) data is suggestive of the diagnosis however, confirmation is obtained through pathological assessment. Sometimes biopsy can be avoided if tumour markers are elevated. The treatment is multimodal based on the combination of three therapeutic modalities: surgery, radiation therapyand chemotherapy. The prognosis is related to the completeness of excision, and the extent of irradiation. In our work, we report a 38-year-old man diagnosed with localized pineal choriocarcinoma. At first chemotherapy was performed, followed by radiotherapy by the technique of Irradiation nwith Volumetric Intensity Modulation by Arc Therapy in stereotactic conditions, a dose of 40 Gy in 10 fractions of 4 Gy delivered at the tumour site. The therapeutic follow-up was marked by a very good tolerance of the treatment. The MRI evaluation after 3 months showed a total regression of the tumour process. The patient was followed for 18 months, he remained healthy without any side effects of the treatment and without any neurological deficit, and the results of all six-monthly follow-up brain MRI carried out during 18 months were satisfactory, in favour of a complete remission. A literature review is conducted to identify similar studies that document primary pineal choriocarcinomas.