Leptomeningeal metastasis as a presenting manifestation of adenocarcinoma of the lung: a case report

Abstract

Leptomeningeal metastasis (LM) also known as meningeal carcinomatosis is a rare but grave complication seen in the terminal stage of a known primary cancer. We report an uncommon case of LM in a 62-year-old male patient, presenting with neurologic signs and symptoms of increased intracranial pressure at least two months before any evidence of involvement of the primary focus in lung. The prognosis of the disease was poor due to the involvement of central nervous system and bones. It is important to have a high index of suspicion and to consider systemic diseases in differential diagnosis of the syndrome of intracranial hypertension.

Keywords: Adenocarcinoma of lung, Intracranial hypertension, Meningeal carcinomatosis, Magnetic resonance imaging