Intrathecal pemetrexed efficacy and cerebrospinal fluid tumor marker response in refractory leptomeningeal metastasis of non-small-cell lung cancer: a single-arm phase II trial

Abstract Background The treatments for refractory leptomeningeal metastasis (RLM) of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) are limited, and response assessment is complex and challenging. This clinical trial aimed to evaluate the efficacy of intrathecal pemetrexed (IP) and response assessment using cer...

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Main Authors: Qingsheng Xu, Kaiyuan Huang, Luqing Tong, Danfang Yan, Yilei Zhao, Hanjin Yang, Weili Jin, Luyuan Zhang, Jinquan Cai, Qun Chen
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: BMC 2025-05-01
Series:BMC Medicine
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Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1186/s12916-025-04134-7
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author Qingsheng Xu
Kaiyuan Huang
Luqing Tong
Danfang Yan
Yilei Zhao
Hanjin Yang
Weili Jin
Luyuan Zhang
Jinquan Cai
Qun Chen
author_facet Qingsheng Xu
Kaiyuan Huang
Luqing Tong
Danfang Yan
Yilei Zhao
Hanjin Yang
Weili Jin
Luyuan Zhang
Jinquan Cai
Qun Chen
author_sort Qingsheng Xu
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Background The treatments for refractory leptomeningeal metastasis (RLM) of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) are limited, and response assessment is complex and challenging. This clinical trial aimed to evaluate the efficacy of intrathecal pemetrexed (IP) and response assessment using cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) tumor marker in RLM. Methods This was a single-center, single-arm, phase II adaptive clinical trial. Patients with RLM of NSCLC were eligible for inclusion. Patients were assigned to receive 30 mg of IP every 3 weeks for a total of 6 cycles. The primary endpoint was overall survival (OS). The secondary endpoints included progression-free survival (PFS) evaluated according to EANO-ESMO response assessment, disease control rate, the concordance of CSF tumor marker response with EANO-ESMO response assessment, and safety. Results A total of 29 patients were enrolled in the trial. The median PFS was 10.03 months (95% CI, 6.42–13.64), and the median OS was 20.37 months (95% CI, 14.86–25.88), respectively. A ± 35% threshold for CSF tumor marker level change (TML) yielded the optimal predictive performance, with AUCs of 0.890 (95% CI, 0.833–0.947), 0.911 (95% CI, 0.870–0.951), and 0.784 (95% CI, 0.717–0.850) for EANO-ESMO response, progression, and stable, respectively. Most patients (93.1%) experienced grade 1–2 treatment-related adverse events. Conclusions Our therapeutic regimen of IP provided a practical, survival-extending, and tolerant option for RLM patients. CSF tumor marker response was correlated with EANO-ESMO response assessment, offering an effective tool for response monitoring of RLM. Trial registration Chinese Clinical Trial Register (ChiCTR) ChiCTR2200057235. Registered on March 1, 2022. Date of the first patient enrollment: April 29, 2022.
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spelling doaj-art-a3fbde03f4db4e3095c75ba73d48ea162025-08-20T03:16:34ZengBMCBMC Medicine1741-70152025-05-0123111210.1186/s12916-025-04134-7Intrathecal pemetrexed efficacy and cerebrospinal fluid tumor marker response in refractory leptomeningeal metastasis of non-small-cell lung cancer: a single-arm phase II trialQingsheng Xu0Kaiyuan Huang1Luqing Tong2Danfang Yan3Yilei Zhao4Hanjin Yang5Weili Jin6Luyuan Zhang7Jinquan Cai8Qun Chen9Department of Neurosurgery, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of MedicineDepartment of Neurosurgery, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of MedicineDepartment of Neurosurgery, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of MedicineDepartment of Radiation Oncology, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of MedicineDepartment of Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of MedicineDepartment of Pathology, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of MedicineThe Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of MedicineDepartment of Neurosurgery, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of MedicineDepartment of Neurosurgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical UniversityDepartment of Neurosurgery, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of MedicineAbstract Background The treatments for refractory leptomeningeal metastasis (RLM) of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) are limited, and response assessment is complex and challenging. This clinical trial aimed to evaluate the efficacy of intrathecal pemetrexed (IP) and response assessment using cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) tumor marker in RLM. Methods This was a single-center, single-arm, phase II adaptive clinical trial. Patients with RLM of NSCLC were eligible for inclusion. Patients were assigned to receive 30 mg of IP every 3 weeks for a total of 6 cycles. The primary endpoint was overall survival (OS). The secondary endpoints included progression-free survival (PFS) evaluated according to EANO-ESMO response assessment, disease control rate, the concordance of CSF tumor marker response with EANO-ESMO response assessment, and safety. Results A total of 29 patients were enrolled in the trial. The median PFS was 10.03 months (95% CI, 6.42–13.64), and the median OS was 20.37 months (95% CI, 14.86–25.88), respectively. A ± 35% threshold for CSF tumor marker level change (TML) yielded the optimal predictive performance, with AUCs of 0.890 (95% CI, 0.833–0.947), 0.911 (95% CI, 0.870–0.951), and 0.784 (95% CI, 0.717–0.850) for EANO-ESMO response, progression, and stable, respectively. Most patients (93.1%) experienced grade 1–2 treatment-related adverse events. Conclusions Our therapeutic regimen of IP provided a practical, survival-extending, and tolerant option for RLM patients. CSF tumor marker response was correlated with EANO-ESMO response assessment, offering an effective tool for response monitoring of RLM. Trial registration Chinese Clinical Trial Register (ChiCTR) ChiCTR2200057235. Registered on March 1, 2022. Date of the first patient enrollment: April 29, 2022.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12916-025-04134-7Intrathecal pemetrexedResponse assessmentTumor marker in cerebrospinal fluidRefractory leptomeningeal metastasisNon-small-cell lung cancer
spellingShingle Qingsheng Xu
Kaiyuan Huang
Luqing Tong
Danfang Yan
Yilei Zhao
Hanjin Yang
Weili Jin
Luyuan Zhang
Jinquan Cai
Qun Chen
Intrathecal pemetrexed efficacy and cerebrospinal fluid tumor marker response in refractory leptomeningeal metastasis of non-small-cell lung cancer: a single-arm phase II trial
BMC Medicine
Intrathecal pemetrexed
Response assessment
Tumor marker in cerebrospinal fluid
Refractory leptomeningeal metastasis
Non-small-cell lung cancer
title Intrathecal pemetrexed efficacy and cerebrospinal fluid tumor marker response in refractory leptomeningeal metastasis of non-small-cell lung cancer: a single-arm phase II trial
title_full Intrathecal pemetrexed efficacy and cerebrospinal fluid tumor marker response in refractory leptomeningeal metastasis of non-small-cell lung cancer: a single-arm phase II trial
title_fullStr Intrathecal pemetrexed efficacy and cerebrospinal fluid tumor marker response in refractory leptomeningeal metastasis of non-small-cell lung cancer: a single-arm phase II trial
title_full_unstemmed Intrathecal pemetrexed efficacy and cerebrospinal fluid tumor marker response in refractory leptomeningeal metastasis of non-small-cell lung cancer: a single-arm phase II trial
title_short Intrathecal pemetrexed efficacy and cerebrospinal fluid tumor marker response in refractory leptomeningeal metastasis of non-small-cell lung cancer: a single-arm phase II trial
title_sort intrathecal pemetrexed efficacy and cerebrospinal fluid tumor marker response in refractory leptomeningeal metastasis of non small cell lung cancer a single arm phase ii trial
topic Intrathecal pemetrexed
Response assessment
Tumor marker in cerebrospinal fluid
Refractory leptomeningeal metastasis
Non-small-cell lung cancer
url https://doi.org/10.1186/s12916-025-04134-7
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