Carcinomatous Meningitis: The Natural History of Successfully Treated Metastatic Bladder Cancer

Abstract

Carcinomatous meningitis due to bladder cancer is a rare entity reported only in case reports. Optimal therapy is thus poorly defined with earlier cases reporting an unsuccessful outcome. Here we report a case of late carcinomatous meningitis secondary to transitional cell carcinoma (TCC) of the bladder occurring in a patient in complete remission. He was successfully treated with intrathecal methotrexate and whole brain irradiation and experienced prolonged survival after treatment. With modern chemotherapy increasing complete remissions and survival rates in patients with TCC, more and more patients are being reported with carcinomatous meningitis. We raise the question of whether central nervous system prophylaxis should be considered in patients with TCC achieving a complete remission to chemotherapy in the metastatic setting.

Keywords

• Carcinomatous meningitis
• Central nervous system
• Complete response
• Intrathecal methotrexate
• Methotrexate, vinblastine, Adriamycin, and cisplatin combination treatment
• Transitional cell carcinoma