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Research Article: Clinical outcomes and prognostic factors of Ommaya reservoir-based intrathecal chemotherapy in lung cancer leptomeningeal metastasis: a retrospective cohort study

Date Published: 2026-09-28

Abstract:
To evaluate clinical outcomes and identify prognostic determinants in patients with lung cancer leptomeningeal metastasis (LCLM) treated with Ommaya reservoir-based intrathecal (IT) chemotherapy. We retrospectively reviewed 154 LCLM patients treated at Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center (2022-2025). All patients underwent Ommaya reservoir implantation, or combined with VP shunt. IT pemetrexed (30 mg/week) was delivered for 4–6 consecutive weeks. Clinical characteristics, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) features were collected. Survival outcomes were assessed using Kaplan–Meier and Cox regression analyses. The cohort had a median age of 59 years (IQR, 53-65) with predominance of female sex (59.1%), lung adenocarcinoma (98.1%), and EGFR mutations (76.7%). Median overall survival (OS) for the entire cohort was 331 days (IQR, 266–446). To provide guidance on clinical decision making, we established an exploratory four-tier prognostic system integrating KPS and intracranial pressure (ICP), categorizing patients into distinct prognostic quartiles. Our analysis revealed that among patients with Karnofsky Performance Status (KPS) ?70, a normal ICP was associated with superior survival. Conversely, in patients with KPS ? 50, a decrease in intracranial pressure indicates a poorer prognosis for the patients. Multivariate Cox regression identified KPS, extracranial metastasis, MRI morphology, and CSF glucose/protein as independent prognostic factors. A nomogram developed from these variables showed excellent discrimination (AUC = 0.894) and robust calibration. This study establishes a practical risk stratification system and a prognostic nomogram to assist individualized clinical decision-making for LCLM patients.

Introduction:
Lung cancer leptomeningeal metastasis (LCLM) is a severe complication of advanced-stage lung cancer progression with a median survival time of only a few weeks to months ( 1 , 2 ). Its incidence is approximately 3.8%, occurring most often in adenocarcinoma, particularly in patients with epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations or anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) rearrangements ( 3 ). The rising incidence reflects improved diagnostic sensitivity and prolonged systemic disease control, allowing central…

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