Diagnostic utility of Cyttel-Tech in identifying meningeal metastases from malignant solid tumors: An observational study.

To investigate the value of circulating tumor cell (CTC) in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) by Cyttel-Tech detection in patients with suspected leptomeningeal metastasis (LM) from malignant solid tumors. We collected CSF from 12 patients with suspected LM from malignant solid tumors at our hospital. Twelve milliliters (mL) of CSF were collected from each patient through the first lumbar puncture: 5 mL was for CTC detection by Cyttel-Tech method, 5 mL for CSF cytopathology examination, and 2 mL for cytology and biochemical analysis of the CSF. Additionally, all patients underwent cranial brain magnetic resonance imaging with both plain and contrast-enhanced scans. Among the 12 patients with suspected LM, CTC detection yielded a positivity rate of 11/12 (91.7%). The positivity rate for CSF cytopathology examination was 4/12 (33.3%). However, none of the patients showed positive findings on cranial brain magnetic resonance imaging with both plain and contrast-enhanced scans (0/12, 0%). The difference between CTC detection and cytopathology detection was statistically significant (P < .05). CTC detection may have a high positivity rate in diagnosing LM from malignant solid tumors. It potentially serves as a supplementary diagnostic method for patients with negative pathology results and be used for rapid and accurate adjunctive diagnosis of LM.