Clinical neurology and neurosurgery
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Clin Neurol Neurosurg · Jan 2013
Leptomeningeal carcinomatosis: prognostic value of clinical, cerebrospinal fluid, and neuroimaging features.
Leptomeningeal carcinomatosis (LC) is a devastating complication occurring in 5% of all patients with cancer. To date there are no well-established prognostic markers in patients with LC, except for the presence of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) blocks and the Karnofsky performance status scale (KPS). We aimed to identify clinical, neuroradiologic and CSF prognostic factors related to LC survival and to develop an easy-to-use Prognostic Scoring Scale (PSS) to identify patients who are more likely to benefit from receiving treatment. ⋯ Prognosis remains poor in LC. The predictive factors for patients with LC here identified could help to improve the selection of patients who are more likely to benefit from receiving treatment.