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Malignant gliomas account for 60% of all primary brain tumors in adults. Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM) is the most common primary glial tumor with a dismal prognosis and a median survival of approximately 14 months. Extra-neural metastases from primary brain tumors are unusual with an incidence rate of less than 2%. This has been attributed to factors such as short survival, lack of true lymphatics in the CNS, and physical barriers provided by the dura, extracellular matrix, and basement membrane. Although most GBMs occur sporadically, there is a known association with therapeutic radiation exposure and with work in nuclear disaster cleanup. To our knowledge, no case of GBM with metastasis occurring in a patient with occupational radiation exposure currently exists in the literature. In this article, we present a case of GBM with lung metastasis occurring in a 51-year-old Caucasian male, whose history is significant for occupational exposure to ionizing radiation, and review the literature on GBM risk factors and potential mechanisms of metastasis.

Metastasis of uterine cancer to the head and neck is extremely rare. We report what we believe to be the first documented case of endometrioid adenocarcinoma metastasizing to the thyroid gland. An 80-year-old woman was referred to the otolaryngology service with a rapidly growing neck mass. The mass appeared to originate from the thyroid gland. Her clinical presentation was consistent with anaplastic thyroid carcinoma. A tracheostomy was performed. An open biopsy established the diagnosis of moderately differentiated adenocarcinoma, consistent with a gynecologic primary. The patient had undergone a hysterectomy 5 years prior for endometrioid adenocarcinoma. The thyroid tumor histology and immunophenotype corresponded well with her prior endometrial carcinoma, indicating that the thyroid mass was a metastasis from the endometrial primary. Radiotherapy appears to offer good local disease control in this rare case of endometrioid adenocarcinoma metastatic to the thyroid.