[Diagnosis and treatment of carcinomatous meningitis in lung cancer].

Carcinomatous meningitis occurs in approximately 5 to 18% of bronchial carcinoma, particularly in adenocarcinoma and small cell lung cancer. The diagnosis is difficult because of the clinical polymorphism and the inconstant presence of neoplastic cells in the cerebrospinal fluid. The prognosis is very poor if untreated with a median survival of 3 to 6 weeks. Development of new molecules as well as an earlier diagnosis could contribute to improve the outcome.