Spontaneous Regression Of Intracerebral Lymphoma
WeingARTen, K. L., Zimmerman, R. D., & Leeds, N. E. (1983). spontaneous regression of intracerebral lymphoma. Radiology, 149(3), 721–724. https://doi.org/10.1148/radiology.149.3.6359262
View Original Source →Abstract
Transient spontaneous regression of lesions was identified in four patients with intracerebral lymphoma. This finding, which may be related to cyclic changes in biological tumor activity as well as infarction and/or hemorrhage within the neoplasm, is not a good prognostic sign. Furthermore, when initial neuroradiologic studies suggest a diagnosis of lymphoma, subsequent spontaneous resolution of lesions should not be mistaken for a reliable sign of a benign, self-limiting disease. The diagnosis of this malignant neoplasm, despite regression of lesions, should be aggressively pursued early in the patient's clinical course when therapy would be most beneficial.
Case Details
Disease Location
Intracerebral (septum pellucidum, cc, right bg)
Personal Characteristics
61 -year-old male he had been treated with radiotherapy for lymphoma of the sphenoid sinus and nasopharynx (erroneously diagnosed as an anaplastic carcinoma) three years previously
Clinical Characteristics
He had a 2 week history of confusion, obtundation, and the syndrome of inappropriate secretion of antidiuretic hormones initial CT scan showed hyperdense enhancing lesions within the septum pellucidum, corpus calosum, and the right basal ganglia adjacent white-matter edema as well as mass effect on the frontal horns of the lateral ventricles were also noted following the sr and clinical and CT findings, there was clinical deterioration and recurrence of the lesions on CT. He was treated with steroids 3 months later, his condition deteriorated again and CT revealed recurrent lesions which had increased in size and were more widespread he died shortly after, 5 months after the initial CT exam autopsy revealed recurrent malignant histiocytic lymphoma involving the nasopharynx
Remission Characteristics
Over the next months, without specific therapy, the patient improved clinically and serial cts demonstrated a decrease in the size, density, and enhancement of the lesions and resolution of mass effect lesions involuted again after steroids
Treatment & Mechanisms
Proposed Remission Mechanisms
No major mechanism proposed mention of vessel invasion that may lead to occlusion with secondary infarction and/or hemorrhage into tumor tissue
Clinical Treatment
Steroids
Non-Clinical Treatment
None reported