Rhabdoid glioblastoma in a child: case report and literature review

Rhabdoid glioblastoma is a rare type of glioblastoma characterized by cells resembling rhabdomyoblasts. Several reports have identified its aggressive clinical course and the pathological differences from other primary brain tumors. We report a case of rhabdoid glioblastoma in a 12-year-old boy who presented with headache and harbored a 70-mm solid tumor in the left temporal lobe. The tumor was surgically excised, but early tumor recurrence and leptomeningeal spread developed, and the patient died of the disease 4.9 months after surgery. Histologically, the tumor contained two distinct patterns of glioblastoma and rhabdoid cells with necrosis and hemorrhage. Immunohistochemical analysis revealed that both cells were positive for glial fibrillary acid protein, vimentin, and INI1, which is consistent with the reported diagnosis of rhabdoid glioblastoma. Genetic studies confirmed no loss of the INI1 gene and identified hemizygous deletion of the CDKN2A gene. We review reported cases of rhabdoid glioblastoma and summarize the clinical, radiological, and histological features.