Carcinomatous Meningitis from Unknown Primary Carcinoma.
Fiche publication
Date publication
janvier 2009
Auteurs
Membres identifiés du Cancéropôle Est :
Dr ARNOULD Laurent, Pr GHIRINGHELLI François, Dr FAVIER Laure
Tous les auteurs :
Favier L, Ladoire L, Guiu B, Arnould L, Guiu S, Boichot C, Isambert N, Besancenot JF, Muller M, Ghiringhelli F
Lien Pubmed
Résumé
Carcinomatous meningitis (CM) occurs in 3 to 8% of cancer patients. Patients present with a focal symptom, and multifocal signs are often found following neurological examination. The gold standard for diagnosis remains the demonstration of carcinomatous cells in the cerebrospinal fluid on cytopathological examination. Despite the poor prognosis, palliative treatment could improve quality of life and, in some cases, overall survival. We report on a patient who presented with vertigo, tinnitus and left-sided hearing loss followed by progressive diffuse facial nerve paralysis. Lumbar cerebrospinal fluid confirmed the diagnosis of CM. However, no primary tumor was discovered, even after multiple invasive investigations. This is the first reported case in the English-language medical literature of CM resulting from a carcinoma of unknown primary origin.
Référence
Case Rep Oncol. 2009 Oct 10;2(3):177-183.