[Cranial nerve palsies due to skull base metastases in patients with prostate cancer: a report of two cases].

Two patients with prostate cancer showed cranial nerve palsies due to skull base metastases. Case 1: A 64-year-old man had prostate cancer (T4 N0 M1, Gleason score 7, prostate-specific antigen [PSA] level 372 ng/mL) with multiple bone metastases. Seventy-seven months after initiation of therapy, he had an articulation disorder and palsy of the left side of the tongue, with 12th cranial nerve palsy. Case 2: A 75-year-old man had a prostate cancer (T3b N0 M1, Gleason score 7, PSA level 177 ng/mL) with multiple bone metastases. Sixty-six months after initiation of therapy, he had hearing loss, noise in the right ear, and dizziness, with 8th cranial nerve deficits. Magnetic resonance imaging showed low intensity in the clivus in both cases, and all over the skull in case 2. The first patient was treated with radiation therapy and intravenous steroids at an early date. His symptoms improved.