Solitary osteolytic skull metastasis as the only recurrence of advanced gastric cancer: a case report and literature review

Bone metastases from gastric cancer are very rare, and skull metastases develop in only 11.2% among patients who develop bone metastases from gastric cancer. We report a case of solitary osteolytic skull metastasis as the only recurrence of advanced gastric cancer. A 67-year-old man was referred to us with a two-month history of headache and progressive scalp swelling in the left parietal region. A right hemiparesis developed a week before admission. Thirteen months previously, he had undergone radical total gastrectomy with Roux-en-Y reconstruction. Pathological analysis indicated well-differentiated adenocarcinoma of the gastric cardia (stage IIIA: pT3N2M0). Brain magnetic resonance imaging showed a large skull metastasis in the left parietal region (approximately 65 x 54 mm). An extensive search did not reveal any other tumors. Gross total tumor resection was performed, and the biopsy revealed an adenocarcinoma, suggesting metastasis of the gastric cancer.

Automated summary

This case report describes a rare occurrence of solitary osteolytic skull metastasis as the only recurrence of advanced gastric cancer. The metastasis was confirmed to be from the primary gastric cancer through biopsy. The patient underwent gross total tumor resection.