[Diagnosis and therapy of meningosis neoplastica]

Metastatic leptomeningeal disease occurs in 5-30% of patients with breast or lung cancer, malignant melanoma, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, leukemia and primary malignant brain tumors. Intrathecal chemotherapy with methotrexate, cytarabine, or thiotepa combined with irradiation of the site of major involvement increases overall median survival from 1-2 months to 2-7 months. Clinical outcome is limited by progression of systemic or CNS disease and by the neurotoxic side effects of therapy, i.e. leukoencephalopathy. New immunotherapeutic strategies of intrathecal treatment may be effective and less toxic, but are not yet sufficiently defined and available. This review covers the current diagnostic and therapeutic features of metastatic leptomeningeal disease. Pragmatic therapeutic recommendations, based on available clinical knowledge are given with special consideration of the side effects of therapy.