2023 Volume 162 Pages 68-71
Olfactory dysfunction is a common symptom encountered by otorhinolaryngologists in our daily clinical practice, often after chronic sinusitis or the common cold. When the cause cannot be identified by otorhinolaryngological examination, central nervous system diseases, drugs, or psychogenic factors would be considered.
We encountered a case of glioblastoma in which the chief presenting complaint was olfactory dysfunction. The patient, a 64-year-old woman, showed no abnormality on otorhinolaryngological examination or sinus CT, and a brain MRI showed a neoplastic lesion in the right temporal lobe. She underwent brain tumor resection, and the histopathological diagnosis was glioblastoma. She received radiation therapy with temozolomide (Stupp regimen). However, she died less than two years after the diagnosis. While glioblastoma might be an infrequent cause of olfactory dysfunction, as in this case reported here, olfactory dysfunction could be the presenting feature of a life-threatening disease and should be approached with caution.
