ABSTRACT
Lung cancer is currently one of the most common malignancies in the world and peritoneal involvement is rare in these types of tumors. Clinical manifestations of these metastases are also uncommon and include intestinal perforation and obstruction. The present study reviewed certain aspects of the complication of peritoneal involvement and illustrated it with four cases of patients that were diagnosed with primary lung carcinoma and secondary peritoneal carcinomatosis (PC). The outcome of these patients is poor and they rarely respond to chemotherapy. Surgery is successful in the majority of cases.
ABSTRACT
We present the case of a patient with a solitary left frontoparietal brain metastasis of melanoma previously treated with surgery. Three months later, the patient was admitted to the emergency room in a confusional state with meningeal signs. A cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) test and magnetic resonance imaging findings suggested a subarachnoid haemorrhage (SAH) and/or meningeal carcinomatosis. The results of a cytological examination of the CSF showed neoplastic epithelial cells consistent with metastatic melanoma cells. Resection of metastatic posterior fossa lesions is often cited as a risk factor for leptomeningeal dissemination, however, when the resection is limited to the anterior fossa, this complication is relatively rare. In contrast, SAH may be a complication of leptomeningeal dissemination and responsible for acute meningeal syndrome. Treatment with high doses of corticoids did not show any improvement, and intrathecal chemotherapy was not possible due to the patient's poor functional status. She succumbed 1 week after admission.