Abstract: Leptomeningeal metastasis (LM) is a serious fatal complication of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), which is lack of specificity in clinical manifestations. Symptoms and signs are classically divided into three domains of neurological function: cerebral hemisphere, cranial nerve and spinal cord, and exiting nerve roots. Apart from a clinical suspicion of LM, diagnosis is based on demonstration of cancer in cerebrospinal fluid or radiographic manifestations as revealed by neuraxis imaging. Although the novel agents including targeted therapies such as EGFR-TKIs have conferred a survival benefit in selected NSCLC patients in some studies, the prognosis is still poor. This review focuses on the pathologic physiology, clinical manifestations, diagnosis and therapies of LM in NSCLC.

Key words: Non-small cell lung cancer, Leptomeningeal metastasis, Diagnosis, Therapy