Anaplastic Oligodendroglioma with Cervical Metastases after Prolonged Remission Period

Aims: Oligodendroglioma is thought to never metastasize outside the brain. We report a case of oligodendroglioma with cervical metastasis and to share our experience in managing this case.

Presentation of Case: A 72-year-old gentleman was referred to our clinic with a history of painless left-sided neck swelling. He had a previous history of anaplastic oligodendroglioma which was treated with surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy. Fine needle cytology showed metastatic carcinoma suggestive of glial origin. We proceeded with excision of the tumour and histopathological examination confirmed it to be metastatic oligodendroglioma.

Discussion: Oligodendrogliomas account for 2.9% of all gliomas. It was previously thought to never metastasize extra-cranially. However, there have been many case reports that have proven otherwise. Literature reviews have shown that it can metastasize to any site, albeit rarely.

Conclusion: In a patient with a history of anaplastic oligodendroglioma with a progressively enlarging mass elsewhere, a diagnosis of metastatic oligodendroglioma must be included as the main differential diagnosis.