A Case of Meningeal Carcinomatosis of the Ascending Colon Cancer

Masayoshi Yamamoto, Mikiko Tanabe, Yutaka Nagahori, Kazuya Eguchi, Hideo Hosoi and Hisaaki Akabane^*

Department of Surgery and Pathology^*, Yokosuka Kyosai Hospital

A 70-year-old man was admitted to our hospital for ascending colon cancer reported headaches before being transferred to our surgical floor. Brain CT showed no metastasis to the brain but showed sulcal enhancement of the cerebellum. Laparotomy revealed ascending colon cancer with diffuse lymph nodes metastases and peritoneal dissemination. We suspected that the patient had meningeal carcinomatosis because he became somnolent after postoperative day (POD) 3. A lumbar puncture showed spinal fluid contained cancer cells. The clouding of consciousness and liver dysfunction were progressive and he died on POD 12. Meningeal carcinomatosis is rare in carcinoma of the colon, and many cases involve highly advanced cancer and a relatively poor prognosis.

Key words
meningeal carcinomatosis, ascending colon cancer, headache

Reprint requests
Masayoshi Yamamoto Department of Surgery, Yokosuka Kyosai Hospital 1-16 Yonegahama-dori, Yokosuka-city, 238-8558 JAPAN

Accepted
April 25, 2001

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