Squamous cell carcinoma arising in a suprasellar epidermoid cyst. Case report

A case is presented in which a squamous cell carcinoma developed in an intracranial epidermoid cyst. The patient was a 54-year-old woman with a 3-year history of depression and amblyopia; no focal findings were noted and she was diagnosed as having psychiatric disorders. On her final admission she showed clinical evidence of a rapidly growing intracranial mass. Computerized tomography (CT) identified a right parasellar and temporal lesion which was then incompletely removed. The literature on primary intracranial squamous cell carcinoma is reviewed, and the role of CT scanning in preoperative diagnosis of this lesion is discussed.