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Blindness as initial manifestation of meningeal carcinomatosis in breast cancer
Author(s) -
Cantillo Roberto,
Jain Jitender,
Singhakowinta Amnuay,
Vaitkevicius Vainutis K.
Publication year - 1979
Publication title -
cancer
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.052
H-Index - 304
eISSN - 1097-0142
pISSN - 0008-543X
DOI - 10.1002/1097-0142(197908)44:2<755::aid-cncr2820440249>3.0.co;2-e
Subject(s) - medicine , meningeal carcinomatosis , papilledema , breast cancer , malignancy , blindness , cancer , infiltration (hvac) , surgery , pathology , cerebrospinal fluid , optometry , physics , thermodynamics
The sudden onset of blindness in adults, with or without a history of malignancy should raise the possibility of meningeal carcinomatosis. The diagnosis is best confirmed with examination of the spinal fluid. The actual mechanism by which blindness occurs is probably a combination of tumor cuffing around the optic nerve, direct infiltration and chronic papilledema. We are reporting two patients with disseminated breast cancer who presented with blindness as the first manifestation of meningeal involvement. Treatment with whole brain radiation and intrathecal Cytosine Arabinoside produced temporary remissions, but both died a few months later of their cancer. Cancer 44:755‐757, 1979.