Basophilic meningitis secondary to lymphoma

In this case report of basophilic meningitis, the patient was a 5-year-old girl under treatment for a diffuse lymphocytic lymphoma. She presented with headache and bilateral papilledema. Cerebrospinal fluid examination showed 60 percent basophils. Subsequent specimens showed a rare blast. It is postulated that after the lymphoma cells had spread to the meninges, a cell-mediated immune reaction was initiated with the appearance of basophils in the exudate.