Parotid gland metastasis from glioblastoma multiforme : a case report and review of the literature

We describe a rare case of glioblastoma multiforme with extracranial metastasis to the right parotid gland. A 58-year-old man presented with a parotid tumor and facial paralysis 15 months after craniotomy and partial lobectomy for glioblastoma multiforme of the right temporal lobe. Diagnosis was confirmed by ultrasound guided core-needle biopsy. By this means, a second hospitalization with open surgical biopsy of the parotid gland under general anesthesia for diagnosis only was avoided in this obviously palliative situation. The possible mechanisms of metastasic spread in this highly aggressive tumor and its diagnostic investigation are discussed and compared with the literature.