Nimotuzumab treatment and outcome analysis in patients with leptomeningeal metastasis from nonsmall cell lung cancer

Objective: Leptomeningeal metastasis (LM) leades a devastating consequence in patients with nonsmall cell lung cancer(NSCLC). Treatment is very limited for patients with LM. We introduced to use nimotuzumab (also known as h-R3) combined with methotrexate for treating LM in NSCLC patients. Patients and Methods: In the present report, twenty patients with LM of NSCLC were included, and the clinicopathology information and outcomes after treatment were analyzed. Results: All the twenty patients with LM were lung adenocarcinoma. Thirteen patients had poor Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status (>= 3) before treatment, fifteen patients received combined administration of h-R3 and methotrexate, and another five patients received h-R3 treatment alone. The median survival time after the diagnosis of LM was 5 months (range, 2.4-7.6 months) for these twenty patients. The mean cerebrospinal fluid opening pressure was 270mmH2O before treatment and decreased significantly after treatment (140 mmH2O) (P < 0.001). Associated symptoms were relieved quickly after one or two cycles of intrathecal therapy. Conclusion: These findings indicated that nimotuzumab might be a potential drug for treatment of LM in NSCLC patients.