Neurológia pre prax 5/2009

The significance of cerebrospinal fluid cytology for diagnosing tumors of the nervous system

Qualitative cerebrospinal fluid cytology is an essential examination in all patients who have suspected or confirmed tumorous disease and in samples with pleocytosis and hyperproteinorachia to rule out or confirm the presence of cancer cells. Tumor infiltration proved by cerebrospinal fluid cytology remains important even in the era of imaging techniques and may significantly contribute to early diagnosis and treatment of tumor infiltration in both primary and metastatic tumors of the nervous system. Despite the well-known incidence rates of the individual tumor types, we detected rare tumors in our cohort that cause leptomeningeal infiltration: urinary tract carcinoma, choriod plexus papiloma, and retinoblastoma.

Keywords: quantitative and qualitative cerebrospinal fluid cytology, primary and secondary NS tumors, total protein in CSF.