Germ cell tumors masquerading as central nervous system sarcoidosis
D. M. Peeples, B. J. Stern, V. Jiji and K. S. Sahni
Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, Baltimore, Md.
The diagnosis of central nervous system sarcoidosis is uncertain without
typical multisystem involvement. We describe two patients with isolated
central nervous system mass lesions whose biopsy results were consistent
with sarcoidosis. After a progressive clinical course, they were found to
have diencephalic germinomas. Germ cell tumors, in particular, should be
considered in the differential diagnosis of central nervous system
sarcoidosis as they are potentially treatable, occur in intracranial
locations favored by sarcoidosis mass lesions, and may be surrounded by
granulomatous inflammation that can be mistaken for the noncaseating
granulomas of sarcoidosis.
