Neurocysticercosis With Collision Metastasis of Ovarian Serous Adenocarcinoma: A Case Report

TL;DR

A woman initially treated for a brain parasite was later found to have ovarian cancer that had spread to the brain, highlighting the difficulty in distinguishing between infections and cancer.

Contribution

This case highlights a rare collision metastasis of ovarian cancer to an active neurocysticercosis lesion.

Findings

The patient was initially treated for neurocysticercosis but symptoms persisted.

Further investigation revealed metastatic ovarian serous adenocarcinoma adjacent to the NC lesion.

This case emphasizes the need for a broad differential in diagnosing intracranial lesions.

Abstract

Neurocysticercosis (NC), a parasitic infection caused by Taenia solium, is an increasingly recognized cause of seizures in the United States, particularly among individuals from endemic regions. This report describes a diagnostically challenging case of a 51-year-old Vietnamese woman who presented with new-onset seizures and was initially treated for NC following craniotomy. Despite antiparasitic therapy, persistent symptoms and progressive imaging changes prompted further intervention, ultimately revealing a metastatic ovarian serous adenocarcinoma adjacent to the prior NC lesion. This rare instance of collision metastases, with an uncommon instance of ovarian cancer metastasizing to active NC, underscores the complexity of differentiating NC from neoplastic disease, emphasizing the need for a broad differential in patients with intracranial lesions and risk factors for both infectious and malignant processes.

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