Diagnosis of CNS Lesions by CSF

Abstract

CNS tumors include primary and metastatic neoplasms, which together account for about 1% of human body tumors. The fragile nature of brain and spinal cord parenchyma limits both diagnostic and therapeutic approaches. Fortunately, the recently developed liquid based biopsy (LBB) technique provide highly convenient, fast and less-invasive method to collect and test the potential biomarkers. Biomarkers derived from liquid biopsies can promptly reflect changes on the gene expression profile of tumors. Biomarker derived from tumor cells contain abundant genetic information, which may provide a strong basis for the diagnosis and the individualized treatment of brain tumor patients. CSF can be used as a resource of biomarkers, the sensitivity and specificity of CSF biomarkers of patients with brain tumor is typically higher than those detected in peripheral blood and other sources. This chapter reviews the current different biomarkers in CSF and their significance in brain tumor diagnosis and monitoring.