Abstract
BACKGROUND: There are no validated tools for the clinical neurological assessment of patients with leptomeningeal metastases (LM). However, clinical examination during the course of the disease guides medical management and is part of response assessment in clinical trials. Because neuroimaging may not always be obtained owing to rapid clinical deterioration, clinical neurological assessment of LM is essential, and standardization is important to minimize rater disagreement. METHODS: The Response Assessment in Neuro-oncology-LM group launched a 2-step process, aiming at improving and standardizing the clinical assessment of patients with LM. We report here on the first step the establishment of a consensus scorecard. The task force had 9 virtual meetings to define general recommendations on neurological assessment and selected domains of interest that should be tested. RESULTS: Fourteen domains of neurological symptoms and signs were selected: level of consciousness, cognition, nausea and vomiting, vision, eye movement, facial strength, hearing, swallowing, speech, limb strength, limb ataxia, walking, and bladder bowel functions. For each item, a clear instruction on how to perform the assessment is provided with scoring criteria between 0 and 2. The general clinical status of the patient and use of steroids, pain medications, and antiemetics should be documented. Neurological sequelae from previous brain metastases or cancer treatment should be rated at the baseline evaluation; it should be specified when symptoms or signs may be related to a condition other than LM. DISCUSSION: A revised Neurological Assessment in Neuro-Oncology-LM consensus scorecard for clinical assessment has been established. An international prospective validation study of the proposal is currently ongoing (NCT06417710).