Intracranial Malignant Triton Tumor in Children: A Case Report

Malignant triton tumor (MTT) is a rare, aggressive type of tumor that commonly originates from mesenchymal tissue and is mainly found in adults. Herein, we report a single case of a 12-year-old boy diagnosed with intracranial MTT. This report presents the clinical features and imaging findings of MTT. The 12-year-old patient consulted the hospital due to intermittent dizziness and headache. Computed tomography (CT) showed low-density space-occupying lesion in the left parietal fossa. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed a mass shadow with slightly long T1 and long T2 signal intensity in the same area. Contrast enhanced MRI (CE-MRI) showed obvious enhancement of the lesion. He was diagnosed with meningioma and underwent surgery. Postoperative histopathological examination diagnosed the lesion as MTT. Two months after the operation, CT examination showed tumor recurrence. He then underwent local radiotherapy and chemotherapy, and unfortunately, died six months later. Intracranial MTT should be considered as one of the differential diagnoses of intracranial meningiomas. CT and MRI are of great significance in the identification of lesion location, invasion range, and degree of malignancy. Final diagnosis of intracranial MTT requires histopathological examination. MTT has a poor prognosis, and surgical resection of the tumor is the preferred treatment. Intervention after early diagnosis is the key to improve the outcome of patients.