ISOLATED CEREBRAL METASTASES AS A PRESENT ING SIGN OF RECTAL ADENOCARCINOMA

Colorectal canter is usually revealed by modifications of bowel habit and/or signs of haemorrhage. Hepatic and lung metastases are the commo n sites of metastatic involvement of this cancer. Brain metastasis are rare, especially when they are isolated. We report the case of a 37-y ear-old patient presenting with isolated brain metastasis revealing a rectal cancer. The patient was initially treated by surgical excision of the symptomatic brain metastasis, followed several days later by an terior resection of the rectum and whole-brain radiotherapy. This unus ual strategy, due to the lack of preoperative diagnosis, did not impro ve the poor prognosis of brain metastasis.