Lung carcinoma metastasis presenting as a pineal region tumor

ABSTRACT

The pineal region is an unusual site for brain metastasis and most metastatic pineal lesions are asymptomatic. A 53 year-old man presented with severe headache, limitation of upward gaze and diplopia. The patient’s neurological examination was unremarkable. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans of the brain demonstrated a 1,5 x 2 cm well demarcated solitary mass in the pineal region with hydrocephalus. Surgery was performed and adenocarcinoma was diagnosed. A systemic investigation revealed adenocarcinoma of the lung as primary lesion. Although rare, metastatic tumor should be considered in the differential diagnosis of pineal region tumors (AU)

RESUMEN

La región pineal es un sitio inusual para el depósito de metástasis y la mayoría de las metástasis pineales son asintomáticas. Un hombre de 53 años debutó con una cefalea intensa, limitación en la supraversión y diplopia. La exploración neurológica fue irrelevante. La resonancia magnética (RM) cerebral demostró una lesión solitaria de 1,5 x 2 cm bien delimitada, en la región pineal con hidrocefalia. Fue intervenido quirúrgicamente siendo el diagnóstico anatomopatológico de adenocarcinoma. Un estudio sistémico descubrió un adenocarcinoma de pulmón como tumor primario. Aunque muy raramente, las metástasis deben considerarse en el diagnóstico diferencial de tumores de la región pineal. %1 of all intracranial tumors27,30,32. Pineal region metastasis is even rarer and accounted for only 1.8% to 4% in literature3,8,22,29. In approximately half of reported cases, the pineal gland was the only site of intracranial metastasis with variable sizes1,2,16,17,25,28,33,35. The most common site of primary origin is lung carcinoma, followed by breast carcinoma and malignant melanoma33. The mechanism of pineal metastasis seems most probable via the bloodstream.Here we report a patient with a pineal region metastasis proven to be from adenocarcinoma of the lung mimicking a primary pineal region tumor (AU)