No abstract

Background Ependymomas are rare adult tumors that originate from the ventricular system or the ependymal surface of the central canal. Extra-axial supratentorial ependymomas are extremely rare, and only five cases have been reported to date in the English literature. Case presentation A 46-year-old previously healthy male presented with a gradual painless loss of vision in the right eye. Cerebral MRI showed a right parietal-occipital lesion resembling an atypical meningioma. Surgical resection was performed, and immunohistochemical staining results concluded that it was a very uncommon location of a grade 3 ependymoma. Favorable outcome was observed one year after completion of postoperative radiotherapy. Conclusion Clinical and imaging aspects are misleading in rare brain tumors, and immunohistochemistry is essential to re-address diagnosis.

Metastatic carcinoma to the uterine cervix from colorectal cancer, through haematogenous or lymphatic spread, is extremely rare. We report the case of a 59 year old woman in whom cervical metastasis was diagnosed after 13 months of follow-up for a sigmoid adenocarcinoma, confirmed by immunohistochemical study, with a review of the literature. This case illustrates that abnormal gynecologic symptoms can reveal a disease progression on patients who suffer colorectal cancer.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/2053-6844-1-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

BackgroundSebaceous carcinoma is a rare malignancy primarily with aggressive growth affecting the cutaneous tissues of the periocular region. Sebaceous carcinoma of the parotid gland is exceedingly rare, with only 32 cases reported in the literature. Our case brings this total to 33.Case presentationWe present a case of a 57-year-old Moroccan woman with a firm, painless, slowly enlarging swelling at her left parotid area, with normal overlying skin and no palpable neck nodes. Parotidectomy with facial nerve preservation was performed, and microscopic examination showed sebaceous carcinoma. Then, she underwent adjuvant radiotherapy. With a follow up of 20 months, head and neck computed tomography revealed no recurrence.ConclusionsThe optimal treatment is unclear. With more cases reported, clinicopathological characteristics and histogenesis are increasingly understood. Therefore the treatment for this rare tumor continues to evolve.

No abstract