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CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 · Asian J Neurosurg 2025; 20(01): 155-159
DOI: 10.1055/s-0044-1791712
Case Report

Metastatic Intracranial Choriocarcinoma in the Absence of a Primary Lesion: A Case Report

Steven-Andrés Piña-Ballantyne 
1   Department of Neuropathology, Instituto Nacional de Neurología y Neurocirugía Manuel Velasco Suárez, Mexico City, Mexico
,
Eunice-Jazmín Espinosa-Aguilar 
2   Internal Medicine Department, Clínica-Hospital Mérida, Yucatán, Mexico
,
Ana-Laura Calderón-Garcidueñas 
1   Department of Neuropathology, Instituto Nacional de Neurología y Neurocirugía Manuel Velasco Suárez, Mexico City, Mexico
,
Rebeca de Jesus Ramos-Sánchez
3   Department of Neuroradiology, Instituto Nacional de Neurología y Neurocirugía Manuel Velasco Suárez, Mexico City, Mexico
› Author Affiliations Funding None.
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Abstract

Intracranial choriocarcinoma is a rare and aggressive neoplasm characterized by the proliferation of trophoblastic tissue. Although choriocarcinoma most commonly arises in the uterus as a component of gestational trophoblastic neoplasia, instances of intracranial choriocarcinoma are exceptionally uncommon. We report a case of intracranial choriocarcinoma without any evidence of a tumor elsewhere. A 25-year-old woman presented with a history of 1 month of evolution with right frontal hemicranial headache, followed by visual disturbances, otalgia, and diplopia. On neurological examination, she was conscious, cooperative, and well-oriented; a grade 1 bilateral papilledema, left homonymous hemianopsia, and sixth cranial nerve paresis, with diplopia, were detected. Neuroimaging showed a right parieto-occipital lesion with features mimicking an atypical meningioma. After surgical resection, a diagnosis of choriocarcinoma was issued. Primary intracranial choriocarcinomas are typically located in the sellar and pineal regions. The occurrence of this tumor within the occipital lobe suggested metastasis; however, a primary tumor in the thoracic or abdominal organs was not observed and a delayed metastasis was considered. This case highlights the diagnostic challenges associated with intracranial choriocarcinoma.

Keywords

intracranial choriocarcinoma - parieto-occipital lobes - woman - left homonymous hemianopsia - delayed metastasis

Authors' Contributions

S.A.P.B. and E.J.E.A. collected data and wrote the first draft of the manuscript with support from A.L.C.G. A.L.C.G. diagnosed the tumor and conceived the case report, supervised, and contributed to the final version of the manuscript. R.J.R.S. contributed to the interpretation of the neuroimages and analysis of the data. All authors provided critical feedback and helped shape the research, analysis, and manuscript.


Ethical Approval

The study was conducted according to the principles established in the Declaration of Helsinki.




Publication History

Article published online:
10 October 2024

© 2024. Asian Congress of Neurological Surgeons. This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonDerivative-NonCommercial License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit. Contents may not be used for commercial purposes, or adapted, remixed, transformed or built upon. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)

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