Open AccessBrain abscess mimicking brain metastasis in breast cancer
Author(s) -
Pooja Khullar,
Niloy Ranjan Datta,
Inderjeet Kaur Wahi,
Sabeena Kataria
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
journal of egyptian national cancer institute/journal of the egyptian national cancer institute
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.398
H-Index - 22
eISSN - 2589-0409
pISSN - 1110-0362
DOI - 10.1016/j.jnci.2015.11.001
Subject(s) - medicine , craniotomy , brain abscess , lesion , brain metastasis , pathology , metastasis , abscess , breast cancer , radiology , cancer , surgery
61 year old female presented with chief complaints of headache for 30 days, fever for 10 days, altered behavior for 10 days and convulsion for 2 days. She was diagnosed and treated as a case of carcinoma of left breast 5 years ago. MRI brain showed a lobulated lesion in the left frontal lobe. She came to our hospital for whole brain radiation as a diagnosed case of carcinoma of breast with brain metastasis. Review of MRI brain scan, revealed metastasis or query infective pathology. MR spectroscopy of the lesion revealed choline: creatinine and choline: NAA (N-Acetylaspartate) ratios of ∼1.6 and 1.5 respectively with the presence of lactate within the lesion suggestive of infective pathology. She underwent left fronto temporal craniotomy and evacuation of abscess and subdural empyema. Gram stain showed gram positive cocci. After 1 month of evacuation and treatment she was fine. This case suggested a note of caution in every case of a rapidly evolving space-occupying lesion independent of the patient's previous history.