Brain metastases in endometrial carcinoma.
BACKGROUND
Brain metastases of endometrial carcinoma are rare. They tend to follow an unpredictable dissemination pattern, due to the different pathways that tumor cells can follow and to certain factors that influence their spread. When brain metastases occur, usually the disease is widely disseminated, but there are some exceptions such as the case presented here.


METHODS
We report the case of a 76-year-old woman who presented a single occipital metastasis 18 months after a hysterectomy because of an endometrial carcinoma. No other metastases were found.


CONCLUSIONS
We discuss the different dissemination pathways of endometrial carcinoma. Some hypotheses try to explain what determines the site of preference of distant metastases. The most accepted hypothesis suggests the presence of specific tumor cell receptors and endothelium receptors on the target organs, which would explain the preference of different cancers for different targets and for different areas inside the same target organ.


CONCLUSIONS
Although brain metastases of endometrial carcinoma are rare and they usually occur in widely disseminated disease, they should be considered in patients with a single brain mass, even when the primary disease is unknown.
Martínez-Mañas
R M
RM
Department of Neurosurgery, Hospital Clínic i Provincial, Villarroel, 170, Barcelona, 08036, Spain.
Brell
M
M
Rumià
J
J
Ferrer
E
E
D000368:Aged; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000556:secondary*; D018269:Carcinoma, Endometrioid / Q000556:secondary*; D002291:Carcinoma, Papillary / Q000556:secondary*; D016889:Endometrial Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D017809:Fatal Outcome; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans