Solitary cystic cerebral metastasis from transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder

Metastatic brain tumors are the most common intracranial neoplasm in adults. Bladder cancer gives metastasis to the brain in less than 1%. Herewith, we report on a case of a 71-year-old man who was admitted to the emergency department after an episode of loss of consciousness. On neurological examination a left hemiparesis was observed. The patient's previous history entailed a total cystectomy and radical prostatectomy 7 months ago because of a transitional cell carcinoma (TCC) of the urinary bladder. Brain imaging work-up revealed a cystic lesion with perifocal edema in the right frontal lobe. The patient was operated and the histological diagnosis was consistent with a metastatic carcinoma, with morphological, histochemical and immunohistochemical features comparable to those of the primary tumor. Postoperative the patient was in excellent neurological state and received complementary chemotherapy and total brain irradiation. Additional imaging and laboratory examinations excluded other metastatic lesion. The patient died 18 months later due to systemic disease. Although intracranial metastases from TCC of urinary bladder have a low incidence, in follow-up examinations any alterations in neurological status in these patients should be thoroughly evaluated.