Abstract
A 26-year-old woman who had been treated by chemotherapy after sigmoidectomy for sigmoid colon cancer in July 2009 developed pulmonary and right ovarian metastases and ascites 16 months after the operation. In order to alleviate symptoms, the right ovarian tumor was removed. Two months after the removal, however, the patient had abrupt onset of transient defect of the visual fields, dysarthria, and neurological symptoms including pain of the upper and lower extremities changing day by day. Symptoms of intracranial hypertension and syndrome of meningeal irritation were absent. Gadopentetate dimeglumine enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (Gd-MRI) revealed abnormal diffuse enhancement effects along the surface and buffy coat of the brain. Meningeal carcinomatosis was thus diagnosed. Administration of dexamethasone and capecitabine resulted in disappearance of these neurological symptoms. Thereafter the patient could live for three months without recurrence of symptoms.
Since meningeal carcinomatosis caused by colorectal cancer is rare, we here present the case together with some bibliographic comments.
