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Glioblastoma - Occipital Lobe

A 52 year-old woman presented with headaches, memory loss and difficulty seeing on the left side.

Show the Gadolinium Enhanced Scans     Note the Spread Across the Splenium of the Corpus Callosum     Show the Midline Shift

Glioblastoma Multiforme (Occipital Lobe). T1-weighted axial MRIs. Note the large mass in the right medial occipital lobe that crosses the midline through the splenium of the corpus callosum. There is also considerable mass effect and midline shift associated with the lesion. Biopsy showed glioblastoma multiforme.

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), also referred to as a Grade IV astrocytoma, is the most common type of primary brain tumor. It is a malignant tumor that carries a very poor prognosis, and typically results in death in 2 years. On CT and MRI imaging, the tumor is often large, irregular and infiltrative, and located in the white matter with surrounding edema. Histologically, the tumor is highly cellular and anaplastic with necrosis. Associated hemorrhage is not uncommon.

Clinically, patients present with slowly progressive focal neurological signs, and signs of increased intracranial pressure (i.e., headache, nausea, and vomiting). Seizures may be an initial presentation or may occur later in the course.


Revised 11/25/06.
Copyrighted 2006. David C Preston