Extracranial Metastasis of Anaplastic Ganglioglioma Through a Ventriculoperitoneal Shunt: a Case Report

Extracranial metastasis of an intracranial anaplastic ganglioglioma through a ventriculoperitoneal shunt is reported. A 53-year-old woman was treated by surgery, radiation and chemotherapy and died 2 years later. At autopsy, multiple metastatic lesions were found in the spinal cord, and the abdominal and pleural cavities. Histologically, all the metastatic lesions were composed of atypical cells which resembled primitive glial elements found in intracranial anaplastic ganglioglioma, suggesting that anaplastic glial elements have a metastatic potential. Extracranial metastasis of ganglioglioma is a rare occurrence; however, the spread of glial elements through the shunt further suggests that caution is required in therapy and indicates a need for protective filters in the shunt system.