[Retrospective study of a series of 26 carcinomatous meningitis secondary to lung cancer].

Carcinomatous meningitis occur in approximately 5 to 18% of bronchial carcinoma. We report here the analysis of a retrospective study of 26 cases of carcinomatous meningitis secondary to a bronchial carcinoma. The most frequently involved histological types are adenocarcinoma and small cell lung cancer. The diagnosis is difficult because of the clinical polymorphism and the inconstant presence of neoplasic cells in the cerebrospinal fluid. The prognosis is very poor with a median survival time of 4 weeks. Development of new molecules as well as an earlier diagnosis could contribute to improve the outcome.