Brain metastases from adenocarcinoma of the lung with truly cystic magnetic resonance imaging appearance

Brain Metastasis Mimicking Glioma on Imaging Appearance During Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitor Administration: A Case Series and Literature Review

OBJECTIVE

Preoperative imaging diagnosis is critical to planning treatment strategies; however, it is occasionally challenging and sometimes misleading. The effects of molecularly targeted therapies on imaging appearances remain uncharted. We investigated the imaging characteristics of brain metastasis during tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) administration.

METHODS

We analyzed the 12 cases of brain metastasis from lung cancer in our institute, including a case of a 49-year-old woman under gefitinib. Additionally, we reviewed the cases of brain metastasis from lung cancer with gefitinib treatment in the literature.

RESULTS

A woman during five-year gefitinib treatment for postoperative recurrence of lung adenocarcinoma was found to have a cerebellar tumoral lesion incidentally on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). This lesion did not harbor any peritumoral edema, along with appearing hypometabolic on fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET). This appearance was inconsistent with a typical metastatic appearance, and high-grade glioma was instead highly suspected, leading to a decision to proceed to gross total tumor resection. The pathological diagnosis, however, was brain metastasis from lung cancer. The other 11 cases without TKI treatment showed peritumoral edema on MRI and higher accumulation of FDG on PET. The two cases of brain metastasis with gefitinib in the literature showed no peritumoral edema on MRI.

CONCLUSION

TKIs like gefitinib can affect tumor biology, leading to a loss of typical imaging findings such as peritumoral brain edema and hyper-metabolism. As preoperative imaging diagnosis guides us in surgical planning, including biopsy or resection, ongoing treatment information should be fully integrated into imaging interpretation.

Unusual magnetic resonance imaging findings of brain and leptomeningeal metastasis in lung adenocarcinoma: A case report

BACKGROUND

Metastatic tumors are the most common malignancies of central nervous system in adults, and the frequent primary lesion is lung cancer. Brain and leptomeningeal metastases are more common in patients with non-small-cell lung cancer harboring epidermal growth factor receptor mutations. However, the coexist of brain metastasis with leptomeningeal metastasis (LM) in isolated gyriform appearance is rare.

CASE SUMMARY

We herein presented a case of a 76-year-old male with an established diagnosis as lung adenocarcinoma with gyriform-appeared cerebral parenchymal and leptomeningeal metastases, accompanied by mild peripheral edema and avid contrast enhancement on magnetic resonance imaging. Surgical and pathological examinations confirmed the brain and leptomeningeal metastatic lesions in the left frontal cortex, subcortical white matter and local leptomeninges.

CONCLUSION

This case was unique with respect to the imaging findings of focal gyriform appearance, which might be caused by secondary parenchymal brain metastatic tumors invading into the leptomeninges or coexistence with LM. Radiologists should be aware of this uncommon imaging presentation of tumor metastases to the central nervous system.

Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitor Therapy for Brain Metastases in Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer: A Primer for Radiologists

Treatment options for patients who develop brain metastases secondary to non-small-cell lung cancer have rapidly expanded in recent years. As a key adjunct to surgical and radiation therapy options, systemic therapies are now a critical component of the oncologic management of metastatic CNS disease in many patients with non-small-cell lung cancer. The aim of this review article was to provide a guide for radiologists, outlining the role of systemic therapies in metastatic non-small-cell lung cancer, with a focus on tyrosine kinase inhibitors. The critical role of the blood-brain barrier in the development of systemic therapies will be described. The final sections of this review will provide an overview of current imaging-based guidelines for therapy response. The utility of the Response Assessment in Neuro-Oncology criteria will be discussed, with a focus on how to use the response criteria in the assessment of patients treated with systemic and traditional therapies.

Atypical radiological presentation of multiple cystic brain metastases from lung cancer simulating neurocysticercosis

Brain metastases (BMs) are usually characterised by vasogenic oedema and mass effect, but cystic appearance can rarely occur, mimicking parasitosis, such as neurocysticercosis (NCC). A woman in her mid-50s was admitted for dizziness and upper left extremity paresis. Neuroimaging showed multiple cystic lesions consistent with multiple stages of NCC evolution, and empiric albendazole was started, without any clinical improvement. A whole-body CT revealed a pulmonary lesion in the right superior lobe. Pathological analysis from brain specimen demonstrated a clear cell lung carcinoma. The patient gradually worsened and died 4 months after the diagnosis. In conclusion, multiple cystic BMs are an atypical presentation on neuroimaging; in these cases, a meticulous diagnostic workup should be performed, looking for the possible site of malignancy. Even when it is not possible to perform a biopsy from the primitive lesion, as reported in this case, a brain biopsy should be considered.