Rhabdoid glioblastoma: case report and literature review

Rhabdoid glioblastoma is a recently described entity in which a glioblastoma is associated with a rhabdoid component. Although rhabdoid glioblastoma has not appeared in the new World Health Organization classification of tumors of the CNS, it has a specific morphological feature and highly aggressive clinic process. Up to now, there have been six cases of rhabdoid glioblastoma reported in the literature. We report rhabdoid glioblastoma in the right front temporal lobe from a 31-year-old Chinese man. This tumor consisted of rhabdoid tumor cells with an eccentric nucleus and an eosinophilic cytoplasm. The tumor had an area appearing to be glioblastoma with microvascular proliferation and necrosis, and lacked a primitive neuroectodermal tumor component, and a mesenchymal component. Vimentin, epithelial membrane antigen, GFAP and integrase interactor (INI-1) expression were found in the tumor cells. Genetic abnormalities which include monosomy or a deletion of chromosome 22 were not found in this tumor. After 3 months post-surgery, the tumor was widespread in leptomeningia and the patient died. In conclusion, rhabdoid glioblastoma is a rare glioblastoma with poor prognosis; the differential diagnosis contained other rhabdoid tumors. This case will contribute to the profile of rhabdoid glioblastoma with typical morphology and immunophenotype, genetic and clinic features.