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Differential Diagnostic Considerations In A Patient With New Onset Apathy: A Case Study On Frontal Lobe Glioblastoma Multiforme, Joy Zarandy, Sarah Yoon, Sharnikha Saravanan, Sanjana Das, Sarah Thomas

The Journal of Integrated Primary Care

This case study involves a 50 year-old previously healthy female presenting with a two-week history of clinically significant apathy. The patient and her family assume her symptoms are due to a potential underlying psychiatric condition; however, neurologic and systemic disorders should also be considered when evaluating a patient with sudden personality change. After a thorough history and physical exam, further evaluation with neuroimaging is performed due to suspicion of neurological etiology. A sizable ring-enhancing lesion in the frontal lobe is noted on MRI, and a diagnosis of glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is confirmed with biopsy. GBM, or grade 4 astrocytoma, is …