Brain Radionecrosis: Case Report

Brain necrosis is a possible complication caused by radiation therapy used in the treatment of head and neck cancer. This complication has variable neurological symptoms according to the site of brain damage, including motor deficits, aphasia, altered consciousness, seizures, and intracranial hypertension and also a variable time for presentation ranging from 3 months to 10 years. Once established, brain injury is irreversible and it is characterized by non-specific radiological image that submits the questions about its etiology: is it secondary to radionecrosis? Tumor progression? Primary tumor? The clinical report here described demonstrates the possibility of such differential diagnosis in a patient with brain lesion as a consequence of radiotherapy for a skin cancer. J Neurol Res. 2016;6(5-6):102-105 doi: https://doi.org/10.14740/jnr396w

[1]  S. Miyatake,et al.  Pathophysiology, Diagnosis, and Treatment of Radiation Necrosis in the Brain , 2014, Neurologia medico-chirurgica.

[2]  Yi Li,et al.  Neurosurgery and prognosis in patients with radiation-induced brain injury after nasopharyngeal carcinoma radiotherapy: a follow-up study , 2013, Radiation oncology.

[3]  Z. Yin,et al.  Radiation induced temporal lobe necrosis in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma: a review of new avenues in its management , 2011, Radiation oncology.

[4]  M. Gilbert,et al.  Randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial of bevacizumab therapy for radiation necrosis of the central nervous system. , 2011, International journal of radiation oncology, biology, physics.

[5]  Z. Yin,et al.  Temporal lobe necrosis: a dwindling entity in a patient with nasopharyngeal cancer after radiation therapy , 2011, Head & neck oncology.

[6]  W. Hung,et al.  Results of excision of cerebral radionecrosis: experience in patients treated with radiation therapy for nasopharyngeal carcinoma. , 2010, Journal of neurosurgery.

[7]  T. Mikkelsen,et al.  Initial experience with bevacizumab treatment for biopsy confirmed cerebral radiation necrosis , 2009, Journal of Neuro-Oncology.

[8]  Y. Yoshii Pathological review of late cerebral radionecrosis , 2008, Brain Tumor Pathology.

[9]  V. Levin,et al.  Effect of bevacizumab on radiation necrosis of the brain. , 2007, International journal of radiation oncology, biology, physics.

[10]  M. Gilbert,et al.  Cerebral Radiation Necrosis , 2003, The neurologist.

[11]  J. Malhaire,et al.  Delayed cerebral pseudo-tumoral radionecrosis following scalp-tumour irradiation. Case report and review of literature , 2004, Journal of Neurology.

[12]  W P Dillon,et al.  Radiation injury of the brain. , 1991, AJNR. American journal of neuroradiology.