Gliosarcoma of a brain: a challenging diagnosis

• Main Authors: Nornazirah Azizan, Nor Haizura Ab Rani, Ahmad Toha Samsudin, Fadhli Mustaffa, Firdaus Hayati
• Format: Article
• Language: English; English
• Published: Universiti Malaysia Sabah 2020
• Subjects: R Medicine (General)
• Online Access: https://eprints.ums.edu.my/id/eprint/27027/1/Gliosarcoma%20of%20a%20Brain%2C%20A%20Challenging%20Diagnosis-Abstract.pdf; https://eprints.ums.edu.my/id/eprint/27027/2/Gliosarcoma%20of%20a%20Brain%2C%20A%20Challenging%20Diagnosis.pdf; https://eprints.ums.edu.my/id/eprint/27027/; https://jurcon.ums.edu.my/ojums/index.php/bjms/article/view/2060/1744

Gliosarcoma is a rare primary malignant tumour of the central nervous system. A 28-year-old radiographer without a history of neurological disorder, malignancy or trauma presented with unprovoked seizures. He was symptom-free for 3 years but developed relapsed. Computed tomography of the brain was consistent with anaplastic convexity meningioma which was identical via intraoperative findings. However, the final histology revealed gliosarcoma of the brain. He recovered well postoperatively without any neurological deficit and had completed adjuvant chemoradiotherapy. He was asymptomatic during follow up with no tumour recurrence. Gliosarcoma with predominant sarcomatous component mimicking a meningioma has prolonged survival as compared to a case with predominant glioblastoma component. Hence, the discordance between clinical, radiological, intraoperative and histopathological findings is a challenge in establishing a diagnosis of gliosarcoma.