PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - HIROMASA YOSHIOKA
AU  - TAKESHI OKUDA
AU  - TAKAYUKI NAKAO
AU  - MITSUGU FUJITA
AU  - JUN C. TAKAHASHI
TI  - Effectiveness of Palliative Cerebrospinal Fluid Shunting for Patients With Leptomeningeal Carcinomatosis-related Hydrocephalus
AID  - 10.21873/anticanres.15221
DP  - 2021 Aug 01
TA  - Anticancer Research
PG  - 4169--4172
VI  - 41
IP  - 8
4099  - http://ar.iiarjournals.org/content/41/8/4169.short
4100  - http://ar.iiarjournals.org/content/41/8/4169.full
SO  - Anticancer Res2021 Aug 01; 41
AB  - Background/Aim: Leptomeningeal carcinomatosis (LMC) with hydrocephalus is particularly difficult to treat, and its prognosis is extremely poor. The therapeutic outcomes of 14 patients with LMC-associated hydrocephalus who were treated with cerebrospinal fluid shunting are reported. Patients and Methods: The study subjects were 14 LMC patients with solid primary cancer who had developed hydrocephalus. Results: Postoperatively, both symptoms and Karnofsky performance status improved in 100% of patients. Postoperative therapy consisted of whole-brain radiotherapy in 4 cases and molecular targeted therapy in 4, with 6 patients not receiving any postoperative treatment. Median overall survival was 3.7 months, with no significant difference between those who underwent postoperative therapy and those who did not. However, two of those who received molecular targeted therapy survived for more than one year. Conclusion: Cerebrospinal fluid shunting for LMC-associated hydrocephalus is an effective therapeutic procedure from the palliative viewpoint. Patients for whom molecular targeted therapy is indicated may have better long-term survival.