Poorly differentiated sinonasal neuroendocrine carcinoma with skull base invasion: A case report.

Background: Sinonasal neuroendocrine carcinoma is a rare head and neck tumor that represents only 5% of sinonasal neoplasms. This lesion has a high risk of invasion to adjacent structures such as the orbit, skull base, and soft tissues, with symptoms usually being nonspecific. Most cases are diagnosed in late stages, decreasing overall survival without treatment. To date, there is no consensus on management given its low prevalence; however, it has been shown that multimodal therapy, with the correct surgical approach as the mainstay, offers a better disease-free prognosis. Case Description: A 46-year-old woman presented with a 1 year history of nasal symptoms, characterized by obstruction and epistaxis. Imaging studies showed an extra-axial mass causing skull base erosion and displacement of the right fronto-orbital region, without invasion of brain parenchyma or meninges. A biopsy was performed and an unresectable poorly differentiated sinonasal neuroendocrine carcinoma was diagnosed. Treatment with radio and chemotherapy was initiated and, as the tumoral volume decreased, she was referred for neurosurgical intervention; an endonasal endoscopic approach was performed. Gross total resection was achieved and the patient was discharged without postoperative complications and no residual lesion on imaging. Conclusion: We describe the evolution of a rare advanced-stage neoplasm. It highlights that despite receiving an initial diagnosis of an unresectable mass, multimodal therapy, and an adequate surgical approach deemed the entire lesion to be resected. Despite the favorable clinical evolution, the follow-up of neuroendocrine carcinoma is prioritized as a neoplasm with a high rate of recurrence and metastasis.

Acute Necrotizing Encephalopathy Post SARS-CoV-2 Infection in an Adult Patient: Case Report.

To show the MRI findings in a rare case of acute necrotizing encephalopathy following SARS-CoV-2 infection in an adult patient. Acute necrotizing encephalopathy is a rare condition characterized by the presence of symmetrical multifocal lesions with predominantly thalamic involvement, as well as the brainstem and cerebellum. We describe the case of a 26-year-old male with a medical history of medulloblastoma that was disease-free after treatment and who tested positive in a PCR for SARS-CoV-2 in cerebrospinal fluid. Upon evaluation at the emergency department one week later, the patient was found to be awake, oriented, and focused and could maintain attention for periods of time. Mixed dysarthria persisted, characterized by being flaccid and hypokinetic. On magnetic resonance imaging, there were multiple hemorrhagic lesions with surrounding edema in the right thalamus with an extension to the posterior arm of the internal capsule, a smaller one in the left thalamus, and another expanded to the ipsilateral peduncle. Acute necrotizing encephalopathy presents a great clinical and diagnostic challenge, close clinical and radiological follow-up is essential, and magnetic susceptibility sequences (T2 or SWI) should be included in the diagnosis protocol.

Multifocal glioblastoma and hormone replacement therapy in a transgender female.

Background: Glioblastoma multiforme represents approximately 60% of all brain tumors in adults. This malignancy shows a high level of biological and genetic heterogeneity associated with exceptional aggressiveness, leading to poor patient survival. One of the less common presentations is the appearance of primary multifocal lesions, which are linked with a worse prognosis. Among the multiple triggering factors in glioma progression, the administration of sex steroids and their analogs has been studied, but their role remains unclear to date. Case Description: A 43-year-old transgender woman who has a personal pathological history of receiving intramuscular (IM) hormone treatment for 27 years based on algestone/estradiol 150 mg/10 mg/mL. Three months ago, the patient suddenly experienced hemiplegia and hemiparesis in her right lower extremity, followed by a myoclonic focal epileptic seizure, vertigo, and a right frontal headache with a visual analog scale of 10/10. Magnetic resonance imaging images revealed an intra-axial mass with poorly defined, heterogeneous borders, and thick borders with perilesional edema in the left parietal lobe, as well as a rounded hypodense image with well-defined walls in the right internal capsule. The tumor was resected, and samples were sent to the pathology department, which confirmed the diagnosis of wild-type glioblastoma. Conclusion: This report identifies prolonged use of steroid-based hormone replacement therapy as the only predisposing factor in the oncogenesis of multifocal glioblastoma. It is an example that highlights the importance for physicians not to consider pathologies related to the human immunodeficiency virus rather than neoplasms in transgender patients in view of progressive neurological deterioration.

A Patient With Epilepsy, Ganglioglioma, and Oligodendroglioma With Anaplastic Foci in the Same Left Frontoparietal Lesion: A Case Report.

Gangliogliomas are central nervous system (CNS) tumors with a neuronal and glial component considered grade 1 according to the World Health Organization (WHO) classification. On the other hand, oligodendrogliomas are diffuse infiltrating gliomas (CNS WHO grade 2 or 3) characterized by both an isocitrate dehydrogenase mutation and 1p/19q co-deletion. There have been some cases with the coexistence of these two tumors. Here, we present the case of a low-growing left frontoparietal brain tumor with a definite diagnosis of ganglioglioma (CNS WHO grade 1) and oligodendroglioma (CNS WHO grade 2) with areas of anaplastic oligodendroglioma (CNS WHO grade 3) in a patient with long-standing epilepsy.