Leptomeningeal metastases arising from gynecological cancers

Most cases of leptomeningeal metastasis (LM) arise from solid tumors, such as breast cancer, lung cancer, or malignant melanoma. LM arising from gynecological cancers are extremely rare. Longer survival owing to recent advances in chemotherapy and other treatments has contributed to the increased frequency of gynecological cancers metastasizing to the central nervous system (CNS). Detailed information regarding LM is scarce; therefore, we conducted a study concerning LM arising from primary gynecological cancers.

Among 24 patients with CNS metastases from gynecological cancer treated at our hospital between January 2011 and August 2018, those who were eventually diagnosed with LM were included in this retrospective study.

Among 24 patients with CNS metastases, five patients (20.8%) were diagnosed with LM. The primary cancer was endometrial in two, cervical in one, and peritoneal in two patients. Of these five patients, three developed LM as a complication 1-11 months after the treatment of brain metastases; one patient had multiple brain metastases diagnosed at the same time as LM, and one had LM alone, without accompanying brain metastases. The median survival after the diagnosis of LM was 23 (12-69) days, while the median survival of 24 patients after the initial diagnosis of CNS metastases was 106 (13-959) days.

Although LM arising from gynecological cancers is considered rare, identification of LM may be important to predict prognosis and develop new therapeutic strategies.