Glioblastoma multiforme at the site of metal splinter injury: a coincidence? Case report

The authors report the case of a man who had suffered a penetrating metal s plinter injury to the left frontal lobe at 18 years of age. Thirty-seven ye ars later the patient developed a left-sided frontal tumor at the precise s ite of the meningocerebral scar and posttraumatic defect. Histological exam ination confirmed a glioblastoma multiforme adjacent to the dural scar and metal splinters. In addition, a chronic abscess from which Propionibacteriu m acnes was isolated was found within the glioma tissue. The temporal and l ocal association of metal splinter injury with chronic abscess, scar format ion, and malignant glioma is highly suggestive of a causal relationship bet ween trauma and the development of a malignant brain tumor.