Oligodendroglioma metastasis to the bone marrow mimicking multiple myeloma: A case report

The present study reports a case of a 59-year-old male suffering from oligodendroglioma that metastasized to the bone marrow (BM). The metastasis was detected 5 years after craniotomy was performed for the resection of the primary tumor; however, it manifested as multiple myeloma (MM)-like bone lesions, a small M component and myeloma cell-like morphology in the BM. A brain magnetic resonance imaging scan was performed; evidence from the previously performed oligodendroglioma resection was observed on the scan, but there were no significant findings, which made the diagnosis particularly challenging. The patient exhibited no response to the multiple combination therapies administered targeting MM and oligodendroglioma, and subsequently developed epilepsy and pneumonia, prior to succumbing to multiple organ failure. Among the various tumor types involving the central nervous system, oligodendroglioma is the least likely to metastasize; thus, distant metastases from brain oligodendrogliomas are extremely rare. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case of metastatic oligodendroglioma presenting with typical MM-like symptoms and without any recurrence in the brain.