Choroid plexus tumors in children and young adults: report of 16 consecutive cases

Choroid plexus tumors are rare intraventricular tumors, and they represent 2-4% of brain tumors in children. This single-institution retrospective study involves 16 consecutive choroid plexus tumors: 13 papillomas and 3 carcinomas. Tumor locations were the lateral ventricles in 13 cases, the third ventricle in 2 cases and the fourth ventricle in 1 case. The mean age at presentation was 3.1 years. Two patients died of perioperative blood loss. Five-year survival was 85% with papillomas and 33% with carcinomas. None of the papillomas recurred after total tumor resection, and the functional outcome in long-term survivors after papilloma surgery was excellent in 92% of the cases. Two of the carcinoma patients had disseminated disease. Fifty percent of the patients had persistent hydrocephalus after tumor resection, and these required cerebrospinal fluid diversion.