Complete remission of a diffuse pontine glioma

A patient is described in whom a large diffuse glioma of the pens extending into the midbrain was diagnosed at the age of 2 years. Biopsy showed a fib rillary astrocytoma. After shunting of a hydrocephalus, the clinical sympto ms abated without conventional therapy. Repeated MRI studies showed a conti nuous decrease of the tumour which was no longer visible when the patient w as 6.6 years old. In reviews on spontaneous remissions of oncologic disorde rs we were unable to find a case of a biologically benign brain stem tumour . There is one isolated report on a similar case, though without histologic documentation.