Pontine primitive neuroectodermal tumor with spinal metastasis in a 10-year-old girl

Brain tumors are the most common type of solid cancer in children. Approximately 20% of pediatric brain tumors originate from the brain stem, and most are comprised of gliomas. However, metastasis of brain stem gliomas along the neuraxis is rare. Brain stem primitive neuroectodermal tumors (PNETs) are also rare and are prone to leptomeningeal metastasis. We describe here a 10-year-old girl with a pontine tumor. Initially, she was diagnosed with a glioma because of the clinical presentation, but later pathology of a metastatic tumor in the spinal cord showed PNET. The tumor response to radiotherapy was poor and she died 6 months after diagnosis. Since biopsy of brain stem tumors is not always feasible, diagnoses other than glioma should be considered if the patient's clinical presentation is unusual.