Intracranial astrocytoma with diffuse bone marrow metastasis: a case report and review of the literature.
A 41 year old male presented with headache, lethargy, and ataxia and found to have a left temporal lobe mass and a leukoerythroblastic peripheral blood smear. The latter prompted an iliac crest bone marrow biopsy on which a diagnosis of metastatic glioma was made and verified by immunohistologic characterization. The patient was treated with cranial irradiation and simultaneous systemic BCNU (bis-dichloroethylnitrosurea) with complete response. This case with diffuse bone marrow involvement demonstrates that a glioblastoma is capable of extracranial metastases without previous intervention. From a review of reported cases of gliomas of extraneural metastasis, it is concluded that untreated gliomas are capable of vascular spread although less frequently than previously manipulated tumors.
LoRusso
P M
PM
Department of Internal Medicine, Wayne State University, School of Medicine, Detroit, Michigan.
Tapazoglou
E
E
Zarbo
R J
RJ
Cullis
P A
PA
Austin
D
D
Al-Sarraf
M
M
D000328:Adult; D001254:Astrocytoma / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology*; D001855:Bone Marrow Diseases / Q000473:pathology*; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology*; D002330:Carmustine / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005904:Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein / Q000032:analysis; D006801:Humans; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D008297:Male
D005904:Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein; D002330:Carmustine