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Doctors believed a 60-year-old man had metastatic brain cancer after scans revealed multiple tumors – but further tests revealed one shocking diagnosis.
The unnamed Spaniard was found to have parasitic tapeworm larvae embedded in his brain – a case of neurocysticercosis parasitic infection of the central nervous system, caused by the pork tapeworm (Taenia solium).
According to the case report published in the CDC journal Emerging Infectious Diseases, the patient, a lifelong resident of Castellón, Spain, had not traveled to regions where the disease is endemic.
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The man initially came to hospital after suffering progressive headaches and mild behavioral changes for two weeks.
Radiological findings from a study of autochthonous neurocysticercosis brain lesions mimicking metastatic disease. (Emerging infectious diseases)
CT scans showed several abnormal spots that looked like tumors that had spread from cancer elsewhere in the body, leading doctors to believe the cancer had advanced Brain cancer.
However, full-body scans, a colonoscopy and specialized imaging tests failed to identify cancer anywhere in the patient’s body, the case report said.
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When doctors performed a more detailed MRI, they discovered several fluid-filled cysts in the brain, some of which contained the head of a tapeworm. A blood test confirmed the diagnosis of neurocysticercosis.
The man was treated with a combination of albendazole and praziquantel (two). antiparasitic drugs), as well as corticosteroids to relieve inflammation. According to the case report, he recovered successfully and without complications.
CT scans (not pictured) showed several abnormal spots that looked like tumors that had spread from cancer elsewhere in the body, leading doctors to believe it was an advanced brain tumor. (iStock)
The authors suspected that the patient may have contracted the infection after accidentally ingesting microscopic tapeworm eggs years earlier.
The exposure may have occurred during construction work with work colleagues with a migrant background from regions where neurocysticercosis is endemic.
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People can become infected with pork tapeworm in two different ways. Eating undercooked, infected pork usually results in intestinal tapeworm, but accidentally swallowing the parasite’s eggs — typically through food or water contaminated with feces — can cause the larvae to enter the bloodstream, where they can form Cysts in the brain and other organs. This may cause the disease that the patient acquired in the case report.
A photomicrograph shows histopathological features in a brain tissue sample from a case of neurocysticercosis caused by the pork tapeworm Taenia solium. The image documents pathological changes associated with this parasitic infection. (Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images)
Since this was only an isolated case, it was… transmission source could not be proven, the researchers acknowledged, and the results cannot be generalized to a broader population. The report shows there is a possibility of local transmission in non-endemic areas, but cannot determine how frequently this occurs.
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According to the case report, less than 2% of neurocysticercosis cases in the United States are considered domestically acquired.
A previous systematic review identified only 18 confirmed locally acquired cases in Western Europe between 1990 and 2011.
The authors suspected that the patient may have contracted the infection after accidentally ingesting microscopic tapeworm eggs years earlier. (Associated Press)
In some cases, NCC can cause serious symptoms including seizures, stroke, neurological deficits and cognitive decline.
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“Our case highlights that the absence of a travel history should not exclude NCC from the differential diagnosis of multiple ring-enhancing brain lesions, even in regions where… metastatic cancer is statistically much more likely,” the researchers conclude in the case study.
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Earlier detection of the worms could have “prevented unnecessary invasive oncological procedures and led to immediate, targeted antiparasitic therapy,” they added.
Fox News Digital has reached out to the researchers for comment.
