Melanotic neuroectodermal tumour of infancy: A clinicopathological study with emphasis on histopathology and IHC

Aims: To explore clinical, Histopathological and IHC features of MNTI with systematic literature review. Settings and Design: Hospital based retrospective study. Methods and Materials: Data of all cases of MNTI diagnosed over a period of seven years i.e. from 2008 to 2015 was retrieved. H&E sections and IHC sections were studied. Strict histological and recently updated criteria were applied and patients with a confirmed diagnosis of MNTI were included in the study. A systematic literature review was conducted by searching the PubMed and National Centre for Biotechnology Information database. Statistical analysis used: Microsoft Excel 2010. Results: Present case series is 19th in the English literature and 2nd in the Indian literature. Mean age of presentation is 5 months. Average duration of symptoms is 2.1 months. Male preponderance was found i.e. M:F ratio of 2:1. Histopathology and if necessary, followed by IHC is necessary for the confirmation of diagnosis. No histological marker can predict its behaviour. Conclusions: A number of known pathologic entities can present at infancy but confirmation of the diagnosis requires histopathological examination and IHC, if necessary. Any unusual growth in infants that appear inconsistent with normal variation and reported history should be referred in time to a pathologist for assessment and diagnosis. A diagnosis of MNTI should be suspected in any tumour in an infant with round cell morphology and a careful search for large melanin containing epithelial cells will help in accurate diagnosis.