Metastatic lung disease to the central nervous system: in vitro response to chemotherapeutic agents.

Background: Metastatic lung disease to the central nervous system (CNS) comprises a significant percentage of cranial metastases. For those cases where chemotherapy may be of palliative or therapeutic benefit, in vitro chemoresponse testing may identify the agent(s) most likely to be effective clinically.

Methods: Tumor-derived cell cultures were established from 14 surgically excised lung lesions metastatic to the CNS.