Radiation-induced cavernous angioma mimicking metastatic disease

Patients with carcinoma of the lung typically have a limited life expectancy especially after developing metastatic disease in the brain. New enhancing lesions in the brain are usually felt to represent new areas of metastasis. Recently, there have been several case reports of cavernous angiomas appearing years after radiation to the brain, typically in children. We present a case of a 41-year-old gentleman with carcinoma of the lung with metastasis to the brain who received postoperative radiation. Five-and-a-half years later he presented with a new enhancing lesion of the brain with surrounding vasogenic oedema, thought to represent a metastatic tumour. It proved is the a radiation-induced cavernous angioma.