Challenges and Advances in Diagnosis and Treatment of Leptomeningeal Disease (LMD)

Sherise D Ferguson; Elena I Fomchenko; Renato A Guerrieri; Isabella C Glitza Oliva

doi:10.3389/fonc.2021.800053

Challenges and Advances in Diagnosis and Treatment of Leptomeningeal Disease (LMD)

Front Oncol. 2022 Jan 12:11:800053. doi: 10.3389/fonc.2021.800053. eCollection 2021.

Authors

Sherise D Ferguson¹, Elena I Fomchenko¹, Renato A Guerrieri², Isabella C Glitza Oliva²

Affiliations

¹ Department of Neurosurgery, University of Texas, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, United States.
² Department of Melanoma Medical Oncology, University of Texas, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, United States.

Abstract

Leptomeningeal disease (LMD) is a devastating category of CNS metastasis with a very poor prognosis and limited treatment options. With maximal aggressive therapy, survival times remain short and, without treatment, prognosis is measured in weeks. Both LMD diagnosis and treatment are challenging topics within neuro-oncology. In this review, we discuss the advances in LMD diagnosis with a focus on the role of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) and discuss the role of targeted and immunotherapy in LMD treatment.

Keywords: ctDNA = circulating tumor DNA; immunothearpy; intrathecal therapy; leptomeningeal disease; targeted therapy.

Publication types

Review