A case of leptomeningeal metastasis from lung adenocarcinoma diagnosed by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction for carcinoembryonic antigen

A case of leptomeningeal metastasis from lung adenocarcinoma is reported. I n this case, we evaluated the feasibility of reverse transcriptased polymer ase chain reaction (RT-PCR) methods to detect cancer cells in cerebrospinal fluids (CSF). Messenger RNA of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) was clearly demonstrated in CSF by reverse RT-PCR methods. An immunohistochemical study also demonstrated that tumor cells were stained positive with anti-CEA ant ibody. This case suggests that RT-PCR for CEA was a sensitive and useful me thod to diagnose leptomeningeal metastasis from lung adenocarcinoma. (C) 19 98 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.