title: Intramedullary spinal cord metastasis from rectal cancer.
abstract: Intramedullary spinal cord metastasis (ISCM) is an uncommon condition of the central nervous system (CNS) cause by systemic malignant tumors. Most ISCM cases are known to occur in patients with lung cancer and breast cancer; however, ISCM also very rarely occurs in patients with colorectal cancer. For the first time in Korea, we experienced a case of ISCM arising from rectal cancer, where a 75-year-old man presented with an abruptly-developed left-foot drop and numbness in both legs. The patient had lung metastases from rectal cancer that had been treated with chemotherapy. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed an intramedullary nodular lesion at the T12 level. ISCM was diagnosed and treated with steroids and radiotherapy. The patient's neurological symptoms were relieved for a while after treatment, but his condition deteriorated progressively. He died 4 months after ISCM had been diagnosed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Inje University Ilsan Paik Hospital, Ilsan, Korea.
authors.forename: Kyung Ho
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Inje University Ilsan Paik Hospital, Ilsan, Korea.
authors.forename: Hye Ran
authors.initials: HR
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Inje University Ilsan Paik Hospital, Ilsan, Korea.
authors.forename: Seong Yoon
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Yi
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Inje University Ilsan Paik Hospital, Ilsan, Korea.
authors.forename: Joo Hyuk
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Jung
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiation Oncology, Inje University Ilsan Paik Hospital, Ilsan, Korea.
authors.forename: Seung Hee
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Kang
authors.affiliation: Department of General Surgery, Inje University Ilsan Paik Hospital, Ilsan, Korea.
authors.forename: Pyong Hwa
authors.initials: PH
authors.lastname: Choi
keywords: Intramedullary spinal cord neoplasms; Radiotherapy; Rectal neoplasms