title: Cerebral cryptococcoma mimicking glioblastoma.
abstract: Cryptococcus neoformansandC. gattiicause invasive fungal disease, with meningitis being the most common manifestation of central nervous system (CNS) disease. Encapsulated cryptococcomas occur rarely, predominantly in immunocompetent hosts, usually related toC. gattiiOur patient was an immunocompetent man who presented with headache and a large cystic CNS lesion thought to be glioblastoma. Biopsy of a concomitant lung lesion confirmed cryptococcoma and empiric antifungal therapy was started for presumed CNS cryptococcoma. Antifungal therapy failed to shrink the CNS lesion, and surgical excision confirmedC. gattiiCNS cryptococcoma. Following surgery he had complete resolution of symptoms. This case highlights that cryptococcoma cannot be distinguished from tumour on clinical or imaging findings. A combined medical and surgical approach is optimal for the management of large or surgically accessible cryptococcomas, as antifungal therapy alone is unlikely to penetrate large lesions sufficiently to lead to a cure.
authors.affiliation: Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital, Herston, Queensland, Australia.
authors.forename: Kimberly B
authors.initials: KB
authors.lastname: Ulett
authors.affiliation: Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital, Herston, Queensland, Australia.
authors.forename: James W J
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Cockburn
authors.affiliation: Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital, Herston, Queensland, Australia.
authors.forename: Rosalind
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Jeffree
authors.affiliation: Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital, Herston, Queensland, Australia.|University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
authors.forename: Marion L
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1094-9853
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Woods
mesh_terms: D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis*; D056285:Cryptococcus gattii; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005909:Glioblastoma / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006801:Humans; D008171:Lung Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D016919:Meningitis, Cryptococcal / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000382:microbiology; D008875:Middle Aged