Gliosarcoma metastatic to the cervical spinal cord: case report and review of the literature

BACKGROUND We describe a case of an intramedullary metastasis to the cervical spinal cord from a temporal gliosarcoma. CASE DESCRIPTION A 48-year-old man with known temporal lobe gliosarcoma presented with a new onset of ipsilateral hemiparesis. A MRI scan revealed the presence of an intramedullary lesion in the spinal cord behind the body of C2. Despite repeated craniotomy, radiation, and chemotherapy, the patient succumbed to a rapidly progressive disease. CONCLUSION The case illustrates the ability of gliosarcoma to metastasize to other locations in the neuroaxis. We believe this to be the first case report of an intramedullary spinal cord metastasis from a gliosarcoma. The pathological features and available literature are reviewed.