Choriocarcinoma presenting as Jacksonian epilepsy

Cerebral deposits of choriocarcinoma tend to be multiple and usually result in a rapidly fatal course. Two patients presented with Jacksonian epilepsy due to metastatic choriocarcinoma in the brain. In the first patient, the diagnosis of metastatic choriocarcinoma was unsuspected, since curetted uterine material was normal, the haemagglutination inhibition test for pregnancy was negative and a chest radiograph was unremarkable. A diagnosis of choriocarcinoma was made by brain biopsy 2 days before death. The second patient had been previously treated with systemic chemotherapy (methotrexate and actinomycin D) for uterine and pulmonary choriocarcinoma associated with hyperthyroidism. Human chorionic gonadotrophin could not be detected in the urine when the patient presented with Jacksonian epilepsy. A brain scan showed multiple areas of increased uptake consistent with metastatic choriocarcinoma. She was treated with both systemic chemotherapy and intrathecal methotrexate and cranial irradiation. A complete remission was obtained. Intrathecal methotrexate and cranial irradiation appear to offer a hopeful new approach to the problem of metastatic cerebral choriocarcinoma.