Abstract
One mechanism of metastasis of breast cancer to the central nervous system is meningeal dissemination, which frequently causes symptoms of brain edema and is rarely detected because of deafness. We report a case of a patient with neoplastic meningitis from breast cancer who developed bilateral deafness and review the related literature. The patient was a 48-year-old woman who underwent surgery for left breast cancer after a partial response to preoperative chemotherapy.
After the operation, radiotherapy targeted to the thoracic wall and supraclavicular region was performed, and it was followed by endocrine therapy. However, she suddenly developed bilateral deafness 7 months after surgery. Magnetic resonance imaging showed disseminated lesions in both the inner ears. Cytological examination of the cerebrospinal fluid performed because of a suspicion of meningeal metastasis showed adenocarcinoma cells. On the basis of these findings, we made a diagnosis of neoplastic meningitis from breast cancer and performed whole brain radiation therapy followed by intramedullary methotrexate administration.
