[A long survival case of brain tumor considered as a metastatic tumor]

A case of long survival of brain tumor (well differentiated adenocarcinoma) was reported. A 55-year-old man was admitted in January, 1986, because of a one month history of progressive headache, dizziness and gait disturbance. CT scans revealed an enhancing tumor in contact with the falx in the right frontal lobe. The tumor was totally removed. The histopathological diagnosis was that of a well differentiated adenocarcinoma. The primary site of the adenocarcinoma was not detected. No chemotherapy or radiation therapy was given. Four years and 7 months after surgery CT scans demonstrated a recurrent tumor as a bilaterally expanding falx meningioma. Nearly total removal of the tumor was again performed and diagnosed as adenocarcinoma. Examinations to detect the primary site and other metastatic lesions were negative again. On May 1993, the patient died because of the intracranial dissemination of tumor without extracranial lesions. The period from the first operation to his death was 7 years and 5 months. This is a case of long survival of intracranial cancer, which was considered as a metastatic tumor, though the primary site and other metastatic lesions were not detected. The tumor in this case showed the atypical features of a metastatic adenocarcinoma. For example, the primary and recurrent tumors resembled a parasagital or falx meningioma in shape and they grew slowly. Therefore, there is a possibility that the tumor was actually a primary adenocarcinoma, which might have arisen from the embryologically migrated cells of the mucous membrane or from ectopic epithelial cells.