1- Introduction
2- Material and Methods
3- Discussion
4- Conclusion
References
Introduction
Glioblastomas (GBMs) are the most common and yet the most aggressive primary intraparenchymal brain tumors in adults [1–9]. Tey occur throughout the central nervous system (CNS) but are most common in the brain [1, 5]. Primary malignant brain tumors are thought to develop through accumulations of genetic alterations that permit cells to evade normal regulatory mechanisms and escape destruction by the immune system [1]. Factors that have positive and negative associations with GBM development have been described. While allergies or atopic disease(s) have been reported by some to decrease the risk, an increased risk has been shown with exposure to ionizing radiation (IR) [3, 10, 11]. An association with high-dose IR and all brain tumors has been observed in atomic bomb survivor studies, nuclear-test fallout data, therapeutic radiation for cancer or for benign conditions, and occupational and environmental studies [1, 10–12]. Like all primary brain tumors, extraneural metastasis of GBM is very rare, reported in less than 2% of all GBM cases [4, 7–9, 13–19]. Te exact mechanisms of spread outside of the CNS of gliomas are not completely understood. Te rarity of this phenomenon has been attributed to the usually short survival of afected patients and also due to intrinsic biological obstacles that prevent the tumor cells from infltrating and surviving beyond the CNS environment [4, 7–9, 13–19]. Furthermore, we present a unique case of a middle-aged Caucasian man with a history of occupational IR exposure who developed a GBM with subsequent metastasis to the lef lung.