No Intraparenchymal Mass Lesion in a Patient with Lung Adenocarcinoma with Treatment-Resistant Seizures: What Next?
Berin İnan1
, Gözde Elif Taşar Kapaklı2, Neşe Dericioğlu1
1Hacettepe University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Neurology, Ankara, Turkey
2Hacettepe University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Pathology, Ankara, Turkey
Keywords: Leptomeningeal carcinomatosis, lung adenocarcinoma, cerebrospinal fluid cytology, possible non-convulsive status epilepticus
Abstract
Leptomeningeal carcinomatosis (LMC) is a relatively rare complication of advanced-stage cancer. The diagnosis of LMC is based on clinical and radiologic findings and cytologic examinations. The diagnosis may be difficult because the clinical findings may be subtle initially, and the specificity of the diagnostic modalities is low. A 41-year-old male patient with metastatic lung adenocarcinoma presented with headache, confusion, and treatment-resistant seizures. There was no intraparenchymal mass lesion or leptomeningeal contrast enhancement in brain magnetic resonance imaging. The presence of LMC was demonstrated in a cytopathologic examination of cerebrospinal fluid. The seizures were controlled with antiepileptic treatment, but the patient was referred to the palliative care center due to poor oncologic prognosis.
Written informed consent was obtained from the next of kin of the patient. No picture or information that could identify the patient was used.
Externally peer-reviewed.
Surgical and Medical Practices: B.İ., G.E.T.K., N.D., Concept: N.D., Design: B.İ., N.D., Data Collection or Processing: B.İ., G.E.T.K., Analysis or Interpretation: B.İ., G.E.T.K., N.D., Literature Search: B.İ., Writing: B.İ.
No conflict of interest was declared by the authors.
The authors declared that this study received no financial support.