ReviewThe oncologist2020
Leptomeningeal Spread in Glioblastoma: Diagnostic and Therapeutic Challenges.
Review in The oncologist, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 45 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
45 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 61 citations in OpenAlex.
- Spatial patterns of progression in reported glioblastoma cohorts after upfront chemoradiation and salvage therapy: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Journal of neuro-oncology · 2026Pooled it
- Leptomeningeal disease in glioblastoma: endgame or opportunity?Journal of neuro-oncology · 2021Pooled it
- Gamma Knife radiosurgery delivered to internal auditory canal glioblastoma under a presumed diagnosis of vestibular schwannoma: illustrative case.Journal of neurosurgery. Case lessons · 2026Article
- Article
- Beyond the Typical Atypical Imaging Features of Leptomeningeal Enhancement: A Case Series.Brain sciences · 2026Article
- Role of CSF interleukin-6 in the prognosis of patients with Leptomeningeal metastases of glioblastoma.Discover oncology · 2026Article
- Case report of adult-type diffuse high-grade glioma IDH-wildtype subtype E with secondary spinal leptomeningeal dissemination, prolonged survival and literature review.Discover oncology · 2026Article
- How is rosette formation in brain tumours linked with cerebrospinal fluid spread?Brain tumor pathology · 2026Review
- Is leptomeningeal dissemination in oligodendroglioma predictable? Evidence from a scoping review.Frontiers in oncology · 2026Review
- Leptomeningeal Enhancement Manifesting as a Treatment-Related Change in Isocitrate Dehydrogenase-Wildtype Glioblastoma Mimicking Leptomeningeal Metastases on Contrast-Enhanced FLAIR MRI: A Case Report.Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology · 2025Article
- Spinal Metastasis from Supratentorial Glioblastoma: A Registry-Based Case Series and a Review of the Literature.Cancers · 2025Article
- Leptomeningeal metastases at recurrence in IDH-wildtype glioblastomas: incidence, risk factors, and prognosis based on postcontrast FLAIR imaging.European radiology · 2025Article
- Decoding Glioblastoma Heterogeneity: Neuroimaging Meets Machine Learning.Neurosurgery · 2025Review
- Leptomeningeal dissemination in H3 K27M- mutant diffuse midline gliomas: clinical characteristics, risk factors, and prognostic insights.Journal of neuro-oncology · 2025Article
- Primary diffuse leptomeningeal glioblastoma: a case report and literature review.Journal of neuro-oncology · 2025Review
- Clinical Reasoning: A 63-Year-Old Man With Progressive Multicranial Neuropathy and Leptomeningeal Enhancement.Neurology · 2024Article
- Article
- Article
- Risk Factors of Distant Recurrence and Dissemination ofCancers · 2024Review
- Efficacy of BRAF/MEK-inhibitor therapy for epithelioid glioblastoma with a novel BRAFV600 mutation.Acta neuropathologica communications · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
11 authors at 5 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundGlioblastoma (GBM) is the most common and aggressive primary malignant brain tumor. Leptomeningeal spread (LMS) is a severe complication of GBM, raising diagnostic and therapeutic challenges in clinical routine.
methodsWe performed a review of the literature focused on LMS in GBM. MEDLINE and EMBASE databases were queried from 1989 to 2019 for articles describing diagnosis and therapeutic options in GBM LMS, as well as risk factors and pathogenic mechanisms.
resultsWe retrieved 155 articles, including retrospective series, case reports, and early phase clinical trials, as well as preclinical studies. These articles confirmed that LMS in GBM remains (a) a diagnostic challenge with cytological proof of LMS obtained in only 35% of cases and (b) a therapeutic challenge with a median overall survival below 2 months with best supportive care alone. For patients faced with suggestive clinical symptoms, whole neuroaxis magnetic resonance imaging and cerebrospinal fluid analysis are both recommended. Liquid biopsies are under investigation and may help prompt a reliable diagnosis. Based on the literature, a multimodal and personalized therapeutic approach of LMS, including surgery, radiotherapy, systemic cytotoxic chemotherapy, and intrathecal chemotherapies, may provide benefits to selected patients. Interestingly, molecular targeted therapies appear promising in case of actionable molecular target and should be considered.
conclusionAs the prognosis of glioblastoma is improving over time, LMS becomes a more common complication. Our review highlights the need for translational studies and clinical trials dedicated to this challenging condition in order to improve diagnostic and therapeutic strategies. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: This review summarizes the diagnostic tools and applied treatments for leptomeningeal spread, a complication of glioblastoma, as well as their outcomes. The importance of exhaustive molecular testing for molecular targeted therapies is discussed. New diagnostic and therapeutic strategies are outlined, and the need for translational studies and clinical trials dedicated to this challenging condition is highlighted.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.