title: Leptomeningeal metastases from solid tumors (meningeal carcinomatosis).
abstract: Leptomeningeal metastases (LM) are increasingly recognized as a devastating complication of solid tumors. Improved treatment of primary malignancy and advances in diagnostic imaging have led to an apparent increase in the number of patients diagnosed with LM. Unfortunately, therapeutic options remain limited. Radiotherapy is used to treat bulky tumor and provide symptomatic relief. Intrathecal chemotherapy benefits a selected subset of patients. The challenge to the future is to delineate the molecular mechanisms underlying LM and to develop novel therapeutic or prophylactic modalities to combat LM.
authors.affiliation: Northwestern University, 710 North Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, Ill, USA.
authors.forename: Michiko Kimura
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Bruno
authors.forename: Jeffrey
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Raizer
mesh_terms: D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000556:secondary*; D002555:Cerebrospinal Fluid / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008577:Meningeal Neoplasms / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000556:secondary*; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology