Cystic Glioblastoma: A Mimicker of Infection? A Case Report and Literature Review

Table 1

Literature search in PubMed using the following keywords: “cystic glioblastoma”, “differential diagnosis of cystic glioblastoma”, “presentation of cystic glioblastoma”, and “treatment of cystic glioblastoma”.

Article title	Age (in years) and sex of patient	Initial symptoms	Presentation on imaging	Procedure	Treatment	Ref. no.
“Cystic Glioblastoma Rupturing into the Ventricle”; PMID: 31938681	77 males	Disorientation and left facial weakness.	A neoplastic lesion with a large cystic structure at his right frontal lobe.	Surgical resection on day 10	TMZ maintenance. Recurrence treated with gamma knife. Bevacizumab was added to the TMZ maintenance.	[5]
“Cerebellar Cystic Glioblastoma: An Uncommon Presentation of a Rare Disease and Clinical Review”; PMID: 30623119	64 females	A 2-week history of dysarthria and dysphagia.	A hypodense lesion in the posterior fossa with intralesional hemorrhage.	Surgical resection of tumor two months after initial admission	Concurrent chemotherapy with radiotherapy followed by adjuvant chemotherapy with temozolomide.	[6]
“Bilateral Cystic Glioblastoma Multiforme”; PMID: 24347967	83 females	Right hemiparesis and inability to speak for 4 days.	Large enhancing cystic lesions measuring and in the right and left frontal regions.	Biopsy of cyst wall in a few days of admission	The prognosis was explained. The patient did not consent to definitive surgery. She died 5 months after discharge.	[7]
“Atypical Presentation of Glioblastoma Multiforme”; PMID: 30756069	53 females	A 2-week history of lack of coordination in her hands and some difficulty in speech.	Atypical neurological presentation.	Stereotactic surgical resection within 2 days	Not reported.	[8]
“Cystic Glioblastoma Multiforme Masquerading as a Cerebral Tuberculoma”; PMID: 25326570	45 males	Seizures and headache.	Mass in the right temporoparietal region with a hypodense center surrounded by a ring of enhancement.	Surgical resection and histopathological examination	Surgery was repeated for maximum debulking of the tumor.	[9]
“Glioblastoma Masquerading as Herpes Simplex Encephalitis”; PMID: 25443666	50 males	Headache, confusion, and an episode of seizure.	A hypodense lesion in the left frontoparietal region with CSF analysis showing positive herpes simplex virus.	Lumbar puncture	Acyclovir and prednisone initially followed by surgical resection.	[10]
“Rapid Progression of Glioblastoma Multiforme: A Case Report”; PMID: 28105188	60 males	Altered mental status after seizure.	Multiple lesions between the left temporal and left occipital lobes, which had increased in size.	Lumbar puncture	On initial admission with mannitol and antiseizure medication along with antiparasitic treatment when GBM was found.	[11]
“Transtentorial Spread of Glioblastoma Multiforme to Cerebellopontine Angle – A Rare Case Report”; PMID: 35127205	55 males	2-month history of progressive left frontal headache associated with nausea, vomiting, and an episode of confusion.	Mass evolving in the left parietal and occipital lobes, measuring , and compressing the ipsilateral ventricle.	Surgical resection	The patient underwent adjuvant treatment with 60 Gy focal brain radiotherapy fractioned in 30 days and 12 cycles of temozolomide.	[12]
“Large Cystic Glioblastoma Multiforme”; PMID: 22286148	41 males	Dizziness and transient right hemiparesis.	5 cm sized cystic mass in the left parietal lobe.	Total surgical resection	Fractionated stereotactic radiotherapy (FSRT) along with 3 cycles of chemotherapy including nimustine (ACNU) and cisplatin given for 3 days and additionally 4 cycles of temozolomide given for 5 days every 1 month.	[13]