Leptomeningeal metastases (LM) are increasingly recognized as a devastating complication of solid tumors. Improved treatment
of primary malignancy and advances in diagnostic imaging have led to an apparent increase in the number of patients diagnosed
with LM. Unfortunately, therapeutic options remain limited. Radiotherapy is used to treat bulky tumor and provide symptomatic
relief. Intrathecal chemotherapy benefits a selected subset of patients. The challenge to the future is to delineate the molecular
mechanisms underlying LM and to develop novel therapeutic or prophylactic modalities to combat LM.
Key Words Leptomeningeal metastases - breast cancer - lung cancer - solid tumors - intrathecal chemotherapy