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Leptomeningeal carcinomatosis associated with gastric cancer

International Journal of Clinical Oncology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Background

Leptomeningeal carcinomatosis (LMC) is a rare but devastating complication of gastric cancer.

Methods

The subjects were 12 gastric cancer patients who were diagnosed as having LMC at the Shizuoka Cancer Center between October 2002 and March 2009. We conducted a retrospective survey of the medical records of the study subjects and collected data on the clinical features, treatment modalities employed/outcomes, and survival of the patients.

Results

Of the 12 patients, 9 (75%) were male, and the median age was 63 years. Histopathologically, the majority of the patients (83%) had diffuse-type adenocarcinoma. At the time of diagnosis of the LMC, the other major sites of metastasis were the peritoneum (75%) and lymph nodes (50%). The median duration from the diagnosis of gastric cancer to the diagnosis of LMC was 15.6 months. While the treatment strategy changed with time, intrathecal chemotherapy (n = 10), followed by whole brain irradiation (n = 7) and subsequent ventriculo-peritoneal shunt (n = 3) was performed in 10 of the patients. Improvement of neurological functions was observed in 6 of the 10 patients. The median overall survival time from the diagnosis of LMC in all the 12 patients was 60 days. One patient survived for a considerably long period of 532 days.

Conclusions

Multidisciplinary treatment, including ventriculo-peritoneal shunt for LMC secondary to gastric cancer, may benefit selected patients, but further accumulation of clinical cases is necessary.

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Conflict of interest

No author has any conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Gastrointestinal Oncology, Shizuoka Cancer Center, 1007 Shimonagakubo, Nagaizumi-cho, Sunto-gun, Shizuoka, 411-8777, Japan

    Hideharu Tomita, Hirofumi Yasui, Yusuke Onozawa, Akira Fukutomi, Kentaro Yamazaki, Nozomu Machida, Akiko Todaka, Hiroya Taniguchi & Takahiro Tsushima

  2. Division of Oncology, St. Mariannna School of Medicine, Kanagawa, Japan

    Narikazu Boku

  3. Division of Neurosurgery, Shizuoka Cancer Center, Shizuoka, Japan

    Yoko Nakasu & Koichi Mitsuya

  4. Division of Medical Oncology, Shizuoka General Hospital, Shizuoka, Japan

    Keisei Taku

Authors
  1. Hideharu Tomita
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  2. Hirofumi Yasui
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  3. Narikazu Boku
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  4. Yoko Nakasu
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  5. Koichi Mitsuya
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  6. Yusuke Onozawa
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  7. Akira Fukutomi
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  8. Kentaro Yamazaki
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  9. Nozomu Machida
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  11. Akiko Todaka
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  12. Hiroya Taniguchi
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  13. Takahiro Tsushima
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Hideharu Tomita.

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Tomita, H., Yasui, H., Boku, N. et al. Leptomeningeal carcinomatosis associated with gastric cancer. Int J Clin Oncol 17, 361–366 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10147-011-0301-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10147-011-0301-8

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