Metastatic secondary gliosarcoma: patient series

BACKGROUND: Gliosarcoma is a rare and highly malignant cancer of the central nervous system with the ability to metastasize. Secondary gliosarcoma, or the evolution of a spindle cell–predominant tumor after the diagnosis of a World Health Organization grade IV glioblastoma, has also been shown to metastasize. There is little information on metastatic secondary gliosarcoma. OBSERVATIONS: The authors present a series of 7 patients with previously diagnosed glioblastoma presenting with recurrent tumor and associated metastases with repeat tissue diagnosis consistent with gliosarcoma. The authors describe the clinical, imaging, and pathological characteristics in addition to carrying out a systematic review on metastases in secondary gliosarcoma. LESSONS: The present institutional series and the systematic review of the literature show that metastatic secondary gliosarcoma is a highly aggressive disease with a poor prognosis.