Right temporal lobe glioblastoma presenting in the left orbit. Case report

Abstract

Dissemination of gliomas outside the central nervous system without preceding neurosurgery is a rare phenomenon. Glial neoplasms presenting as bone lesions are even more rare. A case of glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) with initial presentation in the orbit following a single generalized seizure is described. Signs of intracranial hypertension resulted from subarachnoid tumor invasion. The patient was treated with whole-dose radiation therapy but survived for only 6 months following the initial presentation. An autopsy revealed a right temporal GBM with extensive subarachnoid spread and invasion in the left orbit and skull base. The literature on dissemination of primary tumors of the brain is reviewed.