Case Report Primary intracranial squamous cell carcinoma with brainstem invasion: a rare case in China with a 41-month follow-up

Primary intracranial squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is extremely rare and mostly associated with an intracranial epidermoid or dermoid cyst. Here, we present a rare case of primary intracranial SCC with brainstem invasion in a 22-year-old Chinese woman followed up for 41 months. The patient presented in February 2011 with a lesion in the right cerebellopontine area, and was treated by subtotal surgical resection. Histopathology confirmed SCC. Adjuvant radiotherapy (total dose, 50.4 Gy) was given 6 months after surgery, resulting in lesion shrinkage and symptom relief. However, symptom recurrence occurred 13 months after radiotherapy, and imaging revealed invasion into the pons. This was treated by gross total resection, and 12 months later by stereotactic radiosurgery after another recurrence at the same site. The patient died from severe dyspnea and pulmonary infection in June 2014, 41 months after the initial presentation. Surgery with adjuvant radiotherapy is appropriate for primary intracranial SCC, but long-term recurrence is likely.