Research progress on meningeal metastasis of lung cancer

Abstract

Meningeal metastases (LM) are a common complication of malignant tumors that progress rapidly and have a poor prognosis. Meningeal metastasis may be a combination of intracellular and extracellular factors. The linkage between the C3 signaling pathway and the EGFR ligand regulatory protein pathway may be one of the reasons why NSCLC patients with EGFR mutations are prone to brain/meningeal metastasis. Cerebrospinal fluid cytology is the gold standard for diagnosing meningeal metastases. There are various clinical treatment options, including chemotherapy, radiation therapy, immunotherapy, targeted therapy, and so on. The incidence rate of meningeal metastatic carcinoma is increasing year by year. This article reviews the research progress in pathogenesis, diagnosis and treatment of meningeal metastatic carcinoma of lung cancer.