Long-term survival in a young patient with anaplastic glioma

A 26-year-old man with anaplastic glioma in the left frontoparietal lobe survived for 9 years and 9 months after combined therapy, including subtotal resection, postoperative irradiation, and chemotherapy. The tumor recurred and he received immunotherapy using lymphokine-activated killer (LAK) cells. At the last LAK cell infusion, infection of the Ommaya reservoir occurred, but subsided after antibiotics were administered. Follow-up neuroimaging showed no recurrence of the tumor. Review of the surgical specimens found that the original diagnosis of glioblastoma was inconclusive, although the tumor is considered to be a type of anaplastic glioma.