Maternal lung adenocarcinoma metastatic to the scalp of a fetus. Case report

• Published in: Pediatric neurosurgery Vol. 35; no. 1; pp. 39 - 42
• Main Authors: Harpold, T L, Wang, M Y, McComb, J G, Monforte, H L, Levy, M L, Reinisch, J F
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland S. Karger AG 01.07.2001
• Subjects: Adenocarcinoma - secondary; Adenocarcinoma - surgery; Female; Humans; Infant, Newborn; Lung Neoplasms - pathology; Male; Pregnancy; Pregnancy Complications, Neoplastic - diagnosis; Pregnancy Complications, Neoplastic - surgery; Scalp; Skin Neoplasms - secondary; Skin Neoplasms - surgery
• ISSN: 1016-2291; 1423-0305
• DOI: 10.1159/000050384

Maternal malignancy metastatic to the fetus is a rare event, with most neoplasms being either melanocytic or hematopoietic in origin. This report is the first known case of a maternal lung adenocarcinoma metastatic to a fetus. At 2 months of age, this male infant developed multiple scalp masses that were locally resected but rapidly recurred. The histology of the scalp lesions and that of a biopsy of the mother's tumor were both adenocarcinoma and were remarkably similar in appearance. In situ hybridization of tumor cells from this male infant found many large nuclei with XX signals indicating that the tumor was of maternal origin. This patient is alive, well and free of malignancy 5 years after a wide local resection of the scalp and skin grafting.