Extracranial metastasis of cerebral glioblastoma multiforme: case report

A patient with glioblastoma multiforme of the right cerebral hemisphere that was treated by surgical removal followed by cobalt therapy is presented. The patient's only neurological deficit at the initial presentation had been a left homonymous hemianopsia, which remained unchanged after operation. He had maintained a good functional state for about 18 months. Then, because of low backache, he was restudied thoroughly, and a bony destructive lesion was found in the body of the 4th lumbar vertebra. A computed tomographic scan-guided biopsy of this lesion revealed a histopathological picture similar to that of the primary cerebral glioma. This metastatic glioma of the spine was treated with cobalt therapy with good clinical (i.e., pain relief) response. The case represents extracranial metastasis of cerebral glioblastoma, which is rarely seen. A brief review of the literature and of the theories concerning dissemination is presented.