An Uncommon Complication of Esophageal Cancer.

Esophageal cancer is one of the rarer solid tumors that metastasize to the central nervous system. We describe a case of a 57-year-old male, previously confirmed to have obstructive esophageal adenocarcinoma with local mediastinal and esophagogastric lymph node involvement undergoing chemotherapy, who presented with altered mental status, headache, nausea, 15-pound weight loss, and neck stiffness. Prior staging with an MRI of the brain and spine was unrevealing, but a lumbar puncture demonstrated adenocarcinomatous spread to the cerebrospinal fluid, consistent with leptomeningeal carcinomatosis.