Hearing loss was the first sign that stomach cancer had spread to the lining of the brain
Original title: Case Report: extensive leptomeningeal metastasis from gastric cancer presenting with hearing impairment.
How far along is this research?
- Lab cells
- Animals
- Review
- Tested in people
This was tested in people. That is the most reliable kind of research we share.
This is a report on one patient, and it does not offer any new treatment.
The short version
In one man, sudden hearing loss turned out to be the first sign that his stomach cancer had spread to the lining around his brain.
What was studied. Doctors wrote up the case of one patient. He was a 71-year-old man who had his stomach removed for cancer, and about 11 months later he started to lose his hearing.
What they found. Along with the hearing loss, he had dizziness and trouble walking steadily. By the time he was seen, hearing loss in both ears was getting worse fast. A brain scan with dye showed the cancer had spread widely over the surfaces of both sides of his brain and over the lower back part of the brain. A test of the fluid around his brain and spine did not show cancer cells, so doctors used the scan, the other fluid results, and his symptoms over time to make the diagnosis. He got worse quickly, and after a team meeting his family chose comfort care.
What this means, and what it doesn't
What it could mean: Hearing loss is not what most people think of when they think about cancer spreading to the brain lining. This report is a reminder to doctors to keep it in mind. If someone with stomach cancer starts losing hearing, or feels dizzy or unsteady, it is worth telling the care team right away. It also shows that a clear fluid test does not always rule this out.
What it doesn't mean: This is a story about one patient, not a study. It does not test any drug or treatment, and nothing here is a new way to treat cancer. It is not a promise of a cure. Hearing loss has many common causes, and most of them have nothing to do with cancer.
Source: PubMed, July 8, 2026 · Read the original
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