Background. Glioblastoma carries a poor prognosis primarily because of its high rate of recurrence. The ability to predict the recurrence pattern and timing would be highly useful for determining effective treatment strategies. We examined the correlation between prognostic factors and the pattern of recurrence in patients with primary glioblastoma. In particular, we examined whether there was a correlation between the expression of CD133 and glioblastoma recurrence. Methods. We retrospectively analyzed 112 patients with primary glioblastoma. The timing and pattern (local or distant) of the initial recurrence were obtained from medical records. To identify factors predictive of recurrence, we examined CD133 expression by Western blots and immunohistochemistry, clinical (age, sex, KPS, Ki67 labeling index, surgery, ventricular entry) and genetic (IDH1, 7p, 9p, 10q, MGMT) factors. Results. Of the 112 patients, 99 suffered recurrence. The first recurrence was local in 77 patients and distant in 22 patients. Among the factors to predict the pattern of recurrence, CD133 expression was significantly higher in distant than in local recurrence. Of the factors to predict the timing of recurrence, high CD133 expression was associated with shorter time to distant recurrence in both univariate and multivariate analyses (P ¼ .0011 and P ¼ .038, respectively). Conclusions. The expression of CD133 may be a predictor of the pattern and timing of recurrence of primary glioblastoma.Keywords: glioblastoma, CD133, distant recurrence, local recurrence, stem cells. P rimary glioblastoma, classified as grade IV tumor by the World Health Organization (WHO), is the most malignant tumor of the human central nervous system.1 Despite aggressive treatment, the median survival of patients with these tumors is 12.5 -15 months.2,3 During their clinical course, almost all patients suffer a posttreatment recurrence. Therefore, to improve the prognosis, the pattern and timing of tumor recurrence must be better understood.Advances in surgical treatments such as 5-aminolevulinic acid fluorescence-guided surgery, 4 intraoperative MRI, 5 and functional mapping 6 have enabled maximal resection of these tumors without eliciting severe morbidity. Postoperative treatment with temozolomide and radiation to achieve local tumor control also improves the prognosis slightly.7 Despite good control of the initial lesion, some patients suffer tumor recurrence at a distant location. 8 -12 The reported rate of postoperative distant recurrence including dissemination ranges from 8% to 43.6%. 9,11 -13 To predict and address the clinical course of patients with glioblastoma, we must acquire a better understanding of factors involved in the pattern and timing of not only local but also distant tumor recurrence. Detailed analysis of these factors may make prophylactic treatment for recurrences possible. However, there are few studies on such clinical and molecular features.Here, we conducted a retrospective study to identify the factors associated with distant and lo...