Parenchymal brain leukemia. Case report: problems related to the diagnosis and treatment

Haematologica. 1991 Jul-Aug;76(4):324-6.

Abstract

A case of intracerebral nodular leukemic mass that developed in a girl eight years after a diagnosis of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and 18 months after second discontinuation of therapy for a central nervous system (CNS) relapse is reported. The morphologic picture and the long time that elapsed from the diagnosis raised the suspicion of a cerebral neoplasm; the immediate and dramatic effect of steroid treatment, on the contrary, indicated the presence of a leukemic infiltration and in the meantime, a bone marrow relapse occurred. The patient soon after received high-dose Cytosine Arabinoside (HD ARA C) + Vincristine (VCR) + Levo-Asparaginase (L-ASE) + Prednisone (PDN) without any intrathecal antiblastic drug. We observed a neurological recovery and a complete disappearance of the mass. After consolidation of the remission the patient began an ablative regimen for bone marrow transplantation. The efficacy of HD ARA C in the treatment of the intracerebral nodular leukemic mass is emphasized.

Publication types

  • Case Reports
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / therapeutic use
  • Aphasia / etiology
  • Asparaginase / administration & dosage
  • Blood-Brain Barrier
  • Bone Marrow Transplantation
  • Brain Neoplasms* / complications
  • Brain Neoplasms* / diagnosis
  • Brain Neoplasms* / drug therapy
  • Brain Neoplasms* / epidemiology
  • Brain Neoplasms* / prevention & control
  • Child, Preschool
  • Combined Modality Therapy
  • Cranial Irradiation
  • Cytarabine / administration & dosage
  • Cytarabine / pharmacokinetics
  • Dexamethasone / administration & dosage
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Intracranial Pressure
  • Methotrexate / administration & dosage
  • Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma / pathology*
  • Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma / therapy
  • Prednisone / administration & dosage
  • Remission Induction
  • Vincristine / administration & dosage

Substances

  • Cytarabine
  • Vincristine
  • Dexamethasone
  • Asparaginase
  • Prednisone
  • Methotrexate