Acute Retrograde Amnesia as First Presentation in Terminal Metastatic Cancer

A case is presented of a 2-week onset of acute retrograde amnesia as initial presentation, caused by presumed cancer. While acute retrograde amnesia has been reported in the literature, a report linked to cancer has not previously been published. An 82-year-old Caucasian woman presented to the emergency department, with 3-day history of increasing confusion and mild frontal headaches. Until 2 weeks previously she had been living on her own and coping with her activities of daily life. She believed very firmly that she was living with her husband in the house in which they lived in over 30 years ago. A magnetic resonance imaging scan demonstrated a lesion extending from cortex anteriorly to the right basal ganglia posteriorly. Postgadolinium enhancement was consistent with a diagnosis of a primary or secondary neoplasm. In some patients, cognitive behaviour changes or amnesia is the sole presenting feature of a serious underlying pathology. A lesion in either the temporal or frontal lobe can lead to this presentation. A family conference was convened and there was decision to take a conservative approach and not to investigate further. She was discharged to the care of her daughter and died 3 months later without return of her memory.