Simultaneous occurrence of melanotic neuroectodermal tumor and brain heterotopia in the oropharynx

Abstract

A case is described of heterotopic brain tissue with simultaneous occurrence of melanotic neuroectodermal tumor in the oropharynx of a 6‐week‐old infant. The melanotic neuroectodermal tumor was embedded within the heterotopic glial tissue. This coexistence leads us to speculate that a defect causing a pinching‐off of both neural crest cap and medullary epithelium of neural tube might have taken place at, or before, the 25–30 somite stage. The displaced embryonic structures subsequently differentiated into glial tissue, choroid plexus, and melanotic neuroectodermal tumor. This observation may be interpreted as further support in favor of a neural crest origin of juvenile melanotic neuroectodermal tumor. Copyright © 1976 American Cancer Society