A complex karyotype including a t(2;11) in a paediatric ependymoma: case report and review of the literature

Ependymomas are glial tumours representing approximately 5–10% of all intracranial tumours and are the third most common primary brain tumour in childhood. Only a few karyotypic studies on paediatric ependymomas have been published and no specific chromosomal aberration has been specifically related to this type of cancer. We performed cytogenetic analysis of an ependymoma in an 11-year-old boy. Our patient showed a complex karyotype, characterized by a near-tetraploidy and a sole structural unbalanced aberration: der(2)t(2;11)(q11.2;q13.1), which has not been described before. We here discuss such cytogenetic findings, comparing our data with those reported in the literature.