Surgical management and clinical outcomes of cerebellar liponeurocytomas-a report of seven cases and a pooled analysis of individual patient data.

Cerebellar liponeurocytomas (CLPNs) are very rare, with very few studies on this disease. Their treatment protocol also remains unclear. To better understand the disease, we reviewed the clinical features and outcomes, and proposed a treatment protocol based on previously reported cases as well as cases from our institute. The clinical data were obtained from seven patients with pathologically confirmed CLPNs, who underwent surgical treatment at our institute between November 2011 and June 2021. We also reviewed the relevant literature and 75 patients with CLPNs were identified between September 1993 and June 2021. Risk factors for progression-free survival (PFS) were evaluated in the pooled cohort. Our cohort included four males and three females, with a mean age of 43.9 ± 14.5 years (range: 29-64 years). CLPNs were located in the lateral ventricle in three cases and in the cerebellum in four cases. All seven cases achieved gross total resection (GTR) and radiotherapy was administered to two cases. After a mean follow-up of 44.9 ± 44.4 months, all patients remained well, with no recurrence or death. Among the 75 patients reported in the literature, 35 were males and 40 were females, with a mean age of 46.2 ± 13.6 years (range: 6-77 years). Biopsy, GTR, and non-GTR were achieved in one (1.3%), 50 (66.7%), and 24 (32%) patients, respectively. Radiotherapy was administered to 16 cases and chemotherapy was administered to only one case. After a mean follow-up of 47.5 ± 51.5 months, three patients died and tumor recurrence occurred in 17 patients. Multivariate Cox analysis revealed that non-GTR predicted a poor PFS (p = 0.020), and postoperative radiotherapy could not prolong PFS (p = 0.708). Kaplan-Meier analysis also showed that GTR was significantly associated with longer PFS (p = 0.008), and postoperative radiotherapy could not prolong PFS (p = 0.707). PFS rates at 1, 5, 10 years were 92.7%, 78.0%, 23.8% respectively. CLPNs are very rare brain tumors. Although they have favorable clinical prognosis, the recurrence is relatively high. GTR should be the first choice for treatment and close follow-up is necessary. Postoperative radiotherapy could not improve PFS in this study. A larger cohort is needed to verify our findings.