Simultaneous Presentation of Glioblastoma Multiforme in Divorced Spouses

Abstract

High-grade gliomas are the most common primary brain tumors in adults. However, with an incidence of 4/100,000 per year, glioblastoma multiforme is uncommon enough to make simultaneous presentation of identical tumors in husband and wife exceedingly rare. We report the fourth couple in the literature presenting with malignant astrocytomas concurrently. Despite being divorced and living apart for two decades, they presented on the same day, overhearing and recognizing each other’s voice in the emergency room. We include here the molecular characteristics of the tumors in both husband and wife, favoring the independent development of concurrent primary glioblastomas. Despite the number of conjugal presentations reported, genotoxicity and gliomagenesis may remain a completely independent event in spouses, dependent on endogenous factors damaging DNA. The slowly increasing incidence of gliomas, with nearly 100% correct nosologic recognition of this tumor entity, may lead to further recognition of independent but concurrent brain tumors in spouses.