title: Brain abscess mimicking brain metastasis in breast cancer.
abstract: 61 year old female presented with chief complaints of headache for 30 days, fever for 10 days, altered behavior for 10 days and convulsion for 2 days. She was diagnosed and treated as a case of carcinoma of left breast 5 years ago. MRI brain showed a lobulated lesion in the left frontal lobe. She came to our hospital for whole brain radiation as a diagnosed case of carcinoma of breast with brain metastasis. Review of MRI brain scan, revealed metastasis or query infective pathology. MR spectroscopy of the lesion revealed choline: creatinine and choline: NAA (N-Acetylaspartate) ratios of ∼1.6 and 1.5 respectively with the presence of lactate within the lesion suggestive of infective pathology. She underwent left fronto temporal craniotomy and evacuation of abscess and subdural empyema. Gram stain showed gram positive cocci. After 1 month of evacuation and treatment she was fine. This case suggested a note of caution in every case of a rapidly evolving space-occupying lesion independent of the patient's previous history.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiation Oncology, Rajiv Gandhi Cancer Institute & Research Centre, Sector V, Rohini, New Delhi 110085, India. Electronic address: poojagogia06@yahoo.co.in.
authors.forename: Pooja
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Khullar
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiation Oncology, Rajiv Gandhi Cancer Institute & Research Centre, Sector V, Rohini, New Delhi 110085, India. Electronic address: nrdatta@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Niloy R
authors.initials: NR
authors.lastname: Datta
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiation Oncology, Rajiv Gandhi Cancer Institute & Research Centre, Sector V, Rohini, New Delhi 110085, India. Electronic address: drijkwahi@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Inderjeet Kaur
authors.initials: IK
authors.lastname: Wahi
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiation Oncology, Rajiv Gandhi Cancer Institute & Research Centre, Sector V, Rohini, New Delhi 110085, India. Electronic address: drsabeenakataria@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Sabeena
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kataria
mesh_terms: D001922:Brain Abscess / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000601:surgery; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000556:secondary*; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008875:Middle Aged
keywords: Brain abscess; Brain metastasis; Breast cancer