A brain tumor that grew into the skull on its own
Original title: Glioblastoma, IDH-wildtype, with spontaneous transdural and calvarial invasion: a case report and literature review.
How far along is this research?
- Lab cells
- Animals
- Review
- Tested in people
This was tested in people. That is the most reliable kind of research we share.
This is a report about a single patient, not a new treatment being tested.
The short version
Doctors report a rare case where a brain tumor spread into the skull bone before any treatment.
What was studied. This is a report about a single patient, a 37-year-old woman with a brain tumor. Doctors used scans and lab tests on her tumor tissue.
What they found. Scans showed a mass on the right side of her brain. It had grown through the brain's covering, into the skull bone and a nearby muscle. Surgery removed all of the tumor the doctors could see, and tests showed a grade 4 glioblastoma: A glioma that is given grade 4. Grade 4 is the highest grade there is. The tumor grows fast. Treatment usually starts soon after it is found. It often means surgery, and then radiation and chemotherapy. See the glossary. At 18 months after surgery, she was still alive.
What this means, and what it doesn't
What it could mean: glioblastoma: A glioma that is given grade 4. Grade 4 is the highest grade there is. The tumor grows fast. Treatment usually starts soon after it is found. It often means surgery, and then radiation and chemotherapy. See the glossary usually stays inside the brain, but it can sometimes grow out through the skull without surgery or radiation first. It is very rare. For most patients, this does not change the care they get.
What it doesn't mean: This is not a new treatment, and it is not a cure. It is a report about a single patient, not a study of a group of people. It does not show that any drug or surgery works better. It also does not tell anyone how long they will live.
Source: PubMed, October 9, 2026 · Read the original
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