Cerebral spinal fluid
Criteria for CSF abnormalities include:
Increased opening pressure (> 200mm of H2O)
Increased Leukocytes (>4/mm3)
Elevated protein (>50 mg/dL)
Decreased glucose (<60 mg/dL)

Tumor markers
These markers can be good indirect indicator of NM but most are not sensitive enough to improve cytogical diagnosis:
Carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA)
alpha-fetoprotein
beta-human chorionic gonadotropin
carbohydrate antigen19-9
creatine-kinase BB
isoenzyme
tissue polypeptide antigen
Beta-2 microglobulin
beta-glucoronidase
lactate dehydrogenase isoenzyme-5
vascular endothelial growth factor

Treatment
There is currently no cure for leptomeningeal disease as the tumor is hard to eradicate. Current treatments for leptomeningeal tumors are palliative. The goals for treatment include prolonging survival and stabilizing neurological symptoms. Radiotherapy
Radiotherapy is used mostly for focal type of NM due to the nature of damage and success rate associated with the treatment. Radiotherapy targets the tumor and destroys the collective tissues of cancerous cells. Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is injected directly into the cerebrospinal fluid, either by lumbar puncture (“spinal tap”) or through a surgically implanted device called an Ommaya reservoir. Intrathecal Therapy is preferred since intravenous chemotherapy do not penetrate the BBB. The most common chemicals used are liposomal cytarabine (DepoCyte) and intrathecal methotrexate (MTX). The downside of a spinal tap diagnosis is that while it is highly accurate and reliable, it can also report false-negative results. Chemotherapy is delivered intrathecally as it is hard for drugs to make it into the central nervous system. Intrathecal chemotherapy can only penetrate a few millimeters. If the tumor is any thicker, radiation is given to shrink it down.The treatment is done to reduce pressure on the brain caused by any cerebrospinal fluid buildup and to reduce the number of cancer cells causing the pressure.
More patients with leptomeningeal metastasis should be enrolled into trials investigating novel agents with the potential to penetrate the blood–brain barrier.Novel approaches are being studied as currently available therapies are toxic and provide limited benefits. History
Neoplastic Meningitis (NM) was first reported in the 1870s. Gallery
References
Further reading
Meningeal Carcinomatosis From Cervical Cancer:A Case Report and Review of the Literature

External links
 This article incorporates public domain material from the U.S. National Cancer Institute document: "Dictionary of Cancer Terms".