[Cerebral deep vein thrombosis associated with rectal cancer]

The authors report a case where the patient suffered from deep cerebral venous thrombosis, which developed beside cerebral metastases of a colorectal cancer. The pathogenesis and diagnosis of this disease are also discussed. This rare location of thrombosis is mainly due to hypercoagulable state seen in the use of oral contraceptive drugs, Behçet syndrome, nephrotic syndrome, and as paraneoplastic syndrome in malignant diseases. Literature reports less than 50 cases of deep cerebral venous thrombosis, of which less than 10 are evoked by malignant disease. The symptoms of DCVT can mimic cerebral metastases in cancer patients. The course of disease is aggressive, the prognosis is poor. Even if the patients survive considerable neurological deficits may remain. Authors emphasize the importance of current modern diagnostic imaging methods in the diagnosis. The possibility of deep cerebral venous thrombosis must be taken into account if sudden neurological symptoms develop in a cancer patient.