Brain Tumors Turned Out to Be Tapeworm Larvae
Doctors in Spain suspected metastatic brain cancer before more detailed testing pointed to a rare parasitic infection instead.
A 60-year-old man from Castellón, Spain, was found to have neurocysticercosis after scans showed multiple brain lesions that initially looked like cancer spread.
The case was published in the CDC journal *Emerging Infectious Diseases*, which described the diagnosis as rare because the man had no travel history to regions where the disease is common.
Brain Lesions First Looked Like Cancer
The patient went to hospital after two weeks of worsening headaches and mild behavioural changes.
Initial CT imaging showed multiple abnormal brain lesions with surrounding swelling.
That pattern raised concern for metastatic disease, where cancer from elsewhere in the body spreads to the brain.
Doctors then searched for a primary cancer site.
Whole-body imaging, colonoscopy and additional tests did not find a tumor elsewhere.
That absence pushed clinicians toward a more detailed brain MRI.
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MRI Pointed to Tapeworm Larvae
The MRI showed several cyst-like brain lesions, some with features consistent with the head of a tapeworm larva.
A blood test confirmed infection with *Taenia solium*, the pork tapeworm.
The diagnosis was neurocysticercosis, a parasitic infection of the central nervous system caused when microscopic tapeworm eggs are swallowed and larvae later form cysts in tissue.
The patient was treated with albendazole and praziquantel, two antiparasitic medicines.
Doctors also used corticosteroids to reduce inflammation.
The report said he recovered without complications.
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No Travel History Made the Case Unusual
The unusual part of the case was not only the diagnosis.
It was where it happened.
The man was a lifelong resident of Castellón and had not travelled to endemic areas, according to the case report.
Researchers said the infection may have followed accidental ingestion of tapeworm eggs years earlier, but the exact source could not be proven.
One possible exposure was contact during construction work with people from regions where the parasite is more common.
That does not identify a confirmed source.
It shows why doctors warned that lack of travel history should not automatically exclude neurocysticercosis from the diagnosis when brain imaging fits.
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Case Shows Why Diagnosis Matters
Neurocysticercosis can cause seizures, headaches, stroke-like symptoms, cognitive changes and other neurological problems.
It can also mimic other brain diseases on imaging.
That is the practical lesson from the Spanish case.
A cancer-like scan does not always mean cancer, and a rare infection can still appear in a region where it is not normally expected.
The report’s authors said earlier recognition could help avoid unnecessary invasive cancer procedures and lead to targeted antiparasitic treatment sooner.
For clinicians outside endemic areas, the case opens a difficult question: how often should rare parasitic disease be considered when the more likely diagnosis is cancer?
The answer may depend less on travel history alone and more on what the scan, blood tests and clinical picture show together.
TL;DR
- A 60-year-old man in Spain was first suspected of having metastatic brain cancer.
- Detailed testing later showed neurocysticercosis caused by pork tapeworm larvae.
- The case was unusual because the man had no travel history to endemic areas.
- MRI found cyst-like lesions, and blood testing confirmed *Taenia solium* infection.
- He was treated with antiparasitic drugs and corticosteroids.
- The case shows rare infections can mimic cancer on brain scans.
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Health & Science Correspondent
Dr. Chris Farley brings a medical background to his reporting on healthcare policy, scientific research, and global health developments. He makes complex medical news easy to understand.
