Cerebral mucormycosis masquerading as brain metastasis from lung cancer: A case report

Abstract

We report a rare case of concurrent pulmonary and cerebral mucormycosis initially misdiagnosed as a metastatic tumor. A 66-year-old man with a complaint of progressive right-sided limb weakness for 3 days. Head MRI showed a left parietal occupying lesion with severe edema, and a chest CT scan showed a parenchymal mass with speculation and pleural invasion in his left lung. The patient was initially diagnosed with brain metastases from lung cancer and underwent a craniotomy. Many fungal hyphae were found in the left parietal lesion, and the final pathological diagnosis of intracranial mucormycosis. After craniotomy and an entire course of treatment with liposomal amphotericin B, the patient was completely cured of both intracranial and pulmonary occupying lesions. We hope that this case experience will help expand neurosurgeons' differential diagnosis and treatment of such diseases.

Keywords

• Mucormycosis
• Fungal infections
• Ring enhancement
• Misdiagnosis
• Case report