A cerebellopontine angle metastatis of a male breast cancer: Case report

Abstract

Male breast cancer is rare, less than 1% of men's cancers. The tumors occurring in the cerebellopontine angle remain a rare entity. Features suggestive of metastasis are acute onset, rapid progression of symptoms. We report a case of a 72-year-old man had a mastectomy and an axillary lymph node dissection for a breast cancer 22 years prior to this report. The patient was admitted with deterioration of level of consciousness with intracranial hypertension syndrome. The magnetic resonance imaging showed a cystic lesion in the left cerebellar hemisphere and the prepontine cistern. We proceeded to a large tumor resection. On the follow up, the patient presented a delayed emergence. A CT scan showed a small hematoma at the surgical site and triventricular hydrocephalus for which the patient underwent a ventriculoperitoneal shunt. This is the first described cerebellopontine angle metastasis of a male breast cancer and the first described case of a metastatic triple hormone negative breast cancer to the brain.

Keywords: Male breast cancer- cerebellopontine angle- metastasis -case report.

Fig. 1

Axial and coronal MRI imaging scan showing a cystic lesion depending on the left cerebellar hemisphere, hyposignal in T1 and T2 hypersignal, enhanced peripherally after contrast injection, measuring 32 × 35 mm occupying the prepontic cistern and compressing the cerebral peduncles and the 4th ventricle.

Fig. 2

Immediate postoperative CT scan showing oedemato-hemorrhagic remodeling at the surgical site.