title: Skull metastasis in primary vulvar adenocarcinoma of the Bartholin's gland: a case report.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Metastatic bone involvement in vulvar squamous carcinoma is very rare. Here, we present a case of primary adenocarcinoma of the Bartholin's gland giving rise to isolated skull metastasis.
  
  
  METHODS
  A 74-year-old woman was referred with a diagnosis of primary vulvar adenocarcinoma of the right labium minus. A right hemivulvectomy was performed with ipsilateral inguinofemoral lymphadenectomy, revealing a primary adenocarcinoma of the Bartholin's gland and metastatic involvement in 6 out of 13 lymphnodes. During chemotherapy administration, the patient started complaining of a worsening of right hypoacousis. CT scan and MRI of the brain showed the presence of a metastatic lesion on the right side of the skullbone. The diagnosis was metastatic poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In adenocarcinoma of the Bartholin's gland at an advanced stage of disease, a bone scan or survey in the preoperative as well as follow up staging procedures could be useful.
authors.affiliation: Gynecologic Oncology Unit, Catholic University of Rome, Italy. gabriella.ferrandina@libero.it
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ferrandina
authors.forename: A C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Testa
authors.forename: G F
authors.initials: GF
authors.lastname: Zannoni
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Poerio
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Scambia
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000473:pathology / Q000556:secondary*; D000368:Aged; D001472:Bartholin's Glands / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D012888:Skull Neoplasms / Q000556:secondary*; D014846:Vulvar Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*