Lipoma of the midbrain: post-mortem finding in a patient with breast cancer

Gouvea, Verônica Maia; Hahn, Myriam Dumas; Chimelli, Leila

doi:10.1590/S0004-282X1989000300021

Abstracts

Intracranial lipomas are rare, usually do not have clinical expression and are located mare frequently in the corpus callosum. Other locations include the spinal cord, midbrain tectum, superior vermis, tuber cinereum, infundibulum and more rarely cerebellopontine angle, hypothalamus, superior medullary velum and insula. We report the case of a lipoma of the left inferior colliculus which was a post-mortem finding in a woman who died of breast cancer. Although there are reports of intracranial lipomas in patients with malignant tumors there is no explanation for the co-existence of the two tumors. The present tumor also includes a segment of a nerve which is not uncommon, but a less common finding was the presence of nests of Schwann cells within it, shown by immunohistochemistry.

Lipomas intracranianos são raros, em geral sem expressão clínica, localizados mais freqüentemente no corpo caloso. Outras localizações incluem medula espinhal, teto mesencefálico, vermis superior, tuber cinereum, infundibulum e mais raramente o ângulo ponto-cerebelar, hipotálamo, véu medular superior e insula. Relatamos o achado de necrópsia de um lipoma do colículo inferior esquerdo em uma mulher com câncer de mama. Embora haja relatos de lipomas intracranianos em pacientes com tumores malignos não há explicação para a co-existência dos dois tumores. O presente tumor também inclui o segmento de um nervo, o que não é incomum, mas um achado menos comum foi a presença de ninhos de células de Schwann no tumor, mostradas por imuno-histoquímica.

Lipoma of the midbrain: post-mortem finding in a patient with breast cancer

Lipoma do mesencéfalo: achado de necrópsia, em paciente com câncer da mama

Verônica Maia Gouvea^I; Myriam Dumas Hahn^II; Leila Chimelli^II

^IUniversity Federal Fluminense, Niterói: Medical Resident, Division of Clinical Neurology

^IIUniversity Federal Fluminense, Niterói: Senior Lecturer, Neuropathologist, Department of Pathology

SUMMARY

Intracranial lipomas are rare, usually do not have clinical expression and are located mare frequently in the corpus callosum. Other locations include the spinal cord, midbrain tectum, superior vermis, tuber cinereum, infundibulum and more rarely cerebellopontine angle, hypothalamus, superior medullary velum and insula. We report the case of a lipoma of the left inferior colliculus which was a post-mortem finding in a woman who died of breast cancer. Although there are reports of intracranial lipomas in patients with malignant tumors there is no explanation for the co-existence of the two tumors. The present tumor also includes a segment of a nerve which is not uncommon, but a less common finding was the presence of nests of Schwann cells within it, shown by immunohistochemistry.

RESUMO

Lipomas intracranianos são raros, em geral sem expressão clínica, localizados mais freqüentemente no corpo caloso. Outras localizações incluem medula espinhal, teto mesencefálico, vermis superior, tuber cinereum, infundibulum e mais raramente o ângulo ponto-cerebelar, hipotálamo, véu medular superior e insula. Relatamos o achado de necrópsia de um lipoma do colículo inferior esquerdo em uma mulher com câncer de mama. Embora haja relatos de lipomas intracranianos em pacientes com tumores malignos não há explicação para a co-existência dos dois tumores. O presente tumor também inclui o segmento de um nervo, o que não é incomum, mas um achado menos comum foi a presença de ninhos de células de Schwann no tumor, mostradas por imuno-histoquímica.

Full text available only in PDF format.

Texto completo disponível apenas em PDF.

Acknowledgements - We should like to thank Miss Ana Rodrigues and Mr. Heliomar Marcos for technical assistance and Miss Rosely Cunha for the photographic work.

Dra. Leila Chimelli - Departamento de Patologia, Hospital Universitário Antonio Pedro - Rua Marquês do Paraná 303 -24030 Niterói RJ - Brasil.

1. Bailey P - Intracranial Tumors. Ed 2. Charles C. Thomas, Springfield, 1948.
2. Bailey P, Bucy PC - The origin and nature of meningeal tumors. Am J Cancer 15: 15, 1981.
3. Budka H - Intracranial lipomatous hamartomas (intracranial 'lipomas'): a study of 13 cases including combinations with medulloblatoma, colloid and epidermoid cysts, angiomatosis and other malformations. Acta Neuropathol 28: 205, 1974.
4. Fukai M, Tanaka A, Kitamura K, Okudera T - Lipoma of the cerebellopontine angle: case report. J Neurosurg 46: 544, 1977.
5. Giuffre R, Gambacorta D - Lipoma of the spinal cord: case report. J Neurosurg 35: 335, 1971.
6. Halmagyi GM, Evans WA - Lipoma of the quadrigeminal plate causing progressive obstructive hydrocephalus. J Neurosurg 49: 453, 1978.
7. Hara M, Kawachi S, Hirano A - Lipoma of the superior medullary velum with Schwann cells: report of a case and review of the literature. Acta Pathol Jpn 31: 825, 1981.
8. Hatashita S, Sakakibara T, Ishii S - Lipoma of the insula. J Neurosurg 58: 300, 1983.
9. Kazner E, Stochdorph O, Wende S, Gramme T - Intracranial lipoma: diagnostic and therapeutic considerations. J Neurosurg 52: 234, 1980.
10. Koehl RH, Solitare GB, Heffner RR Jr - Lipomatous hamartoma involving the midbrain and cerebellum of a mentally retarded man. J Ment Defic Res 14: 227, 1970.
11. Rogers HM, Long DM, Chou SN, French LA - Lipomas of the spinal cord and cauda equina. J Neurosurg 34: 349, 1971.
12. Sabouraud O, Pecker J, Simon P, Chatel M - Lipomes du corps calleux: données angiographiques et discussion pathogenique de leur semiologie clinique. Rev Neurol 117: 557, 1967.
13. Schmid AH - A lipoma of the cerebellum. Acta Neuropathol 26: 75, 1973.
14. Vonderahe AR, Niemer WT - Intracranial lipoma: a report of four cases. J Neuropathol Exp Neurol 3: 344, 1944.
15. Zettner A, Netsky MG - Lipoma of the corpus callosum. J Neuropathol Exp Neurol 19: 305, 1960.

Publication Dates

Publication in this collection
06 June 2011
Date of issue
Sept 1989

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

[1] 1. Bailey P - Intracranial Tumors. Ed 2. Charles C. Thomas, Springfield, 1948.

[2] 2. Bailey P, Bucy PC - The origin and nature of meningeal tumors. Am J Cancer 15: 15, 1981.

[3] 3. Budka H - Intracranial lipomatous hamartomas (intracranial 'lipomas'): a study of 13 cases including combinations with medulloblatoma, colloid and epidermoid cysts, angiomatosis and other malformations. Acta Neuropathol 28: 205, 1974.

[4] 4. Fukai M, Tanaka A, Kitamura K, Okudera T - Lipoma of the cerebellopontine angle: case report. J Neurosurg 46: 544, 1977.

[5] 5. Giuffre R, Gambacorta D - Lipoma of the spinal cord: case report. J Neurosurg 35: 335, 1971.

[6] 6. Halmagyi GM, Evans WA - Lipoma of the quadrigeminal plate causing progressive obstructive hydrocephalus. J Neurosurg 49: 453, 1978.

[7] 7. Hara M, Kawachi S, Hirano A - Lipoma of the superior medullary velum with Schwann cells: report of a case and review of the literature. Acta Pathol Jpn 31: 825, 1981.

[8] 8. Hatashita S, Sakakibara T, Ishii S - Lipoma of the insula. J Neurosurg 58: 300, 1983.

[9] 9. Kazner E, Stochdorph O, Wende S, Gramme T - Intracranial lipoma: diagnostic and therapeutic considerations. J Neurosurg 52: 234, 1980.

[10] 10. Koehl RH, Solitare GB, Heffner RR Jr - Lipomatous hamartoma involving the midbrain and cerebellum of a mentally retarded man. J Ment Defic Res 14: 227, 1970.

[11] 11. Rogers HM, Long DM, Chou SN, French LA - Lipomas of the spinal cord and cauda equina. J Neurosurg 34: 349, 1971.

[12] 12. Sabouraud O, Pecker J, Simon P, Chatel M - Lipomes du corps calleux: données angiographiques et discussion pathogenique de leur semiologie clinique. Rev Neurol 117: 557, 1967.

[13] 13. Schmid AH - A lipoma of the cerebellum. Acta Neuropathol 26: 75, 1973.

[14] 14. Vonderahe AR, Niemer WT - Intracranial lipoma: a report of four cases. J Neuropathol Exp Neurol 3: 344, 1944.

[15] 15. Zettner A, Netsky MG - Lipoma of the corpus callosum. J Neuropathol Exp Neurol 19: 305, 1960.