Sarcoma metastatic to the central nervous system: report of three cases and review of the literature.

Sarcoma metastatic to the central nervous system is generally considered to be rare. In this report three cases of sarcoma with metastasis to the central nervous system are presented. The case of rhabdomyosarcoma of the lung probably represents the first reported instance of such tumor metastatic to the central nervous system. The case of fibrosarcoma of the thigh is thought to be the first report of metastatic sarcoma with leptomeningeal dissemination. The metastatic brain lesions of the alveolar soft part sarcoma were incidental findings at autopsy. A summary of 22 cases previously reported and a brief discussion of the mode of metastasis of sarcoma, as compared to that of carcinoma, are also presented.