About this Research Topic
Carcinomatous meningitis (CM) consists of the spread of cancer cells from their primary site to the cerebrospinal fluid and leptomeninges. The incidence of CM from hematologic malignancies varies from 5% to 15%, with B-cell lymphoma patients being majorly affected by this metastatic disease. Among solid tumors, melanoma, breast cancer, and lung cancer present the highest CM incidence, approximately 5%-10%.
CM is an advanced-stage disease and its diagnosis is challenging. The gold standard for diagnosis is based on a neurological evaluation, neuroimaging exams, and assessment of the cerebro-spinal fluid. Even in the case of an early diagnosis, CM prognosis remains very poor and the median survival time is 2-4 months. Currently, there is no definitive and groundbreaking treatment and the main therapeutic goal is to minimize neurological deterioration and prolong survival.
This Research Topics aim to provide a platform for clinicians and researchers to discuss the current landscape of diagnostics, treatment options for CM, address the challenges in response assessment and duration of therapy, and define the direction of future research on the topic.
We welcome manuscripts focused on, but not limited to, the following research areas:
- Challenges in the diagnosis of carcinomatous meningitis;
- Radiotherapy, intrathecal chemotherapy, systemic therapy options, and other treatment options;
- Clinical trials data with validation;
- Challenges in response assessment and duration of therapy;
- Role of circulating tumor cells and circulating tumor DNA in the cerebrospinal fluid in the diagnosis and response assessment.
Please note: manuscripts consisting solely of bioinformatics or computational analysis of public genomic or transcriptomic databases which are not accompanied by validation (independent cohort or biological validation in vitro or in vivo) are out of scope for this section and will not be accepted as part of this Research Topic.
CM is an advanced-stage disease and its diagnosis is challenging. The gold standard for diagnosis is based on a neurological evaluation, neuroimaging exams, and assessment of the cerebro-spinal fluid. Even in the case of an early diagnosis, CM prognosis remains very poor and the median survival time is 2-4 months. Currently, there is no definitive and groundbreaking treatment and the main therapeutic goal is to minimize neurological deterioration and prolong survival.
This Research Topics aim to provide a platform for clinicians and researchers to discuss the current landscape of diagnostics, treatment options for CM, address the challenges in response assessment and duration of therapy, and define the direction of future research on the topic.
We welcome manuscripts focused on, but not limited to, the following research areas:
- Challenges in the diagnosis of carcinomatous meningitis;
- Radiotherapy, intrathecal chemotherapy, systemic therapy options, and other treatment options;
- Clinical trials data with validation;
- Challenges in response assessment and duration of therapy;
- Role of circulating tumor cells and circulating tumor DNA in the cerebrospinal fluid in the diagnosis and response assessment.
Please note: manuscripts consisting solely of bioinformatics or computational analysis of public genomic or transcriptomic databases which are not accompanied by validation (independent cohort or biological validation in vitro or in vivo) are out of scope for this section and will not be accepted as part of this Research Topic.
Keywords: Carcinomatous meningitis, leptomeningeal metastasis, cancer therapy, cancer metastasis
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
