Treatment response to intrathecal chemotherapy with pemetrexed via an Ommaya reservoir in EGFR-mutated leptomeningeal metastases from non-small cell lung cancer: a case report

Leptomeningeal metastasis (LM) is one of the most severe complications of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), and it lacks standard treatment guidelines and is always accompanied by poor prognosis. We report a patient who was definitively diagnosed as LM from NSCLC with a targeted mutation of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) via magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and positive cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) cytology. Tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) were implemented but ineffective. Then the patient received the installation of an intraventricular Ommaya reservoir. Thirty mg of pemetrexed and other adjuvant treatments were implemented on days 1 and 8 every 3 weeks via the Ommaya reservoir. This treatment regimen resulted in the alleviation of the neurological symptoms, the clearing of CSF cytology and a reduced lesion of LM without notable side effects. At recent follow-ups, MRI examinations revealed the sustained stable LM lesion. We report the first successful example of administering intrathecal chemotherapy with pemetrexed via an Ommaya reservoir, providing a new therapeutic approach against LM from NSCLC.