Two Cases of Primary Spinal Glioblastoma in Adults Treated With Multimodality Therapy

Primary spinal glioblastoma (GBM) is a rare disease entity with no established standard treatment. We present two cases of primary spinal GBM initially presenting with motor-sensory deficits and back pain. Management varied in that the first patient received subtotal resection followed by radiation therapy, while the second patient underwent gross total resection followed by radiation therapy and temozolomide. The first patient died from hypoxemia secondary to disease progression affecting diaphragmatic motion three months after diagnosis. The second patient progressed intracranially and died 7.4 months after diagnosis. There is no standard of care for primary spinal GBM, so treatment should follow a multidisciplinary discussion focused on patient-specific goals. These cases highlight the poor prognosis of primary spinal GBM despite different treatment approaches, necessitating accurate reporting of all similar cases to help improve knowledge and management of this rare malignancy.