Acute deafness and dizziness revealed skull-base metastasis of renal cell carcinoma

Abstract

Skull-base metastasis of malignant tumor shows various clinical symptoms, including cranial nerve palsy symptoms (e.g., headache, diplopia, dysarthria, and dysphagia), which depend on the position of metastasis. We report a case in which acute deafness and dizziness revealed skull-base metastasis of renal cell carcinoma. As in this case, symptoms like deafness, dizziness, dysphagia, and dysarthria, which are the first symptoms of otolaryngology, may appear as the initial clinical symptoms. Nerve palsy reduced the patient's quality of life. If such symptoms are observed in cancer patients, it is desirable to distinguish skull base metastasis using imaging tests, and to refer the patient for radiation therapy.