Simultaneous primary cancer occurrence of melanoma and pulmonary adenocarcinoma in leptomeningeal metastases: a case report

BMC Cancer. 2019 Oct 23;19(1):995. doi: 10.1186/s12885-019-6183-2.

Abstract

Background: Leptomeningeal metastasis (LM) is a predominantly late stage, devastating complication of a variety of malignant solid tumors. Diagnosis relies predominantly on neurological, radiographic, and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) assessments. Recently, liquid biopsy tests derived from CSF has shown to be a feasible, noninvasive promising approach to tumor molecular profiling for proper brain cancer diagnostic treatment, thereby providing an opportunity for CSF-based personalized medicine. However, LM is typically misleadingly assumed to originate from only one primary tumor type.

Case presentation: In this case report, we provide first evidence of the co-occurrence of LM originating from more than one primary tumor types.

Discussion and conclusions: Based on this patient case profile, the co-occurrence of LM from two or more primary tumor types should be accounted for when deriving diagnostic conclusions from liquid biopsy tests.

Keywords: Adenocarcinoma; Leptomeningeal metastasis; Melanoma; Simultaneous.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Adenocarcinoma of Lung / cerebrospinal fluid
  • Adenocarcinoma of Lung / secondary*
  • Adenocarcinoma of Lung / therapy
  • Aged
  • Fatal Outcome
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Liquid Biopsy
  • Lung Neoplasms / pathology*
  • Lung Neoplasms / therapy
  • Melanoma / cerebrospinal fluid
  • Melanoma / secondary*
  • Melanoma / therapy
  • Meningeal Neoplasms / cerebrospinal fluid
  • Meningeal Neoplasms / secondary*
  • Meningeal Neoplasms / therapy