Why Leptomeningeal Disease Is So Hard to Detect — and How New Tests Are Changing That

Leptomeningeal disease (LMD) occurs when cancer spreads to the coating of the brain and spinal cord—a serious and often underdiagnosed complication of cancer. In this clip, Dr. Seema Nagpal, Neuro-Oncologist at Stanford Health Care, explains why LMD can be so difficult to detect, how imaging can miss it, and why new testing methods like the C-Inside test and cell-free DNA analysis are giving doctors better tools to find it earlier. Learn how awareness, experience, and advancing science are helping clinicians diagnose and treat LMD more effectively—and why it’s so important for patients and care partners to know what to ask about. Watch to learn: • Why newer cancer treatments can influence LMD risk • How subtle MRI findings can hide leptomeningeal disease • Why lumbar punctures sometimes miss the diagnosis • How innovative testing is improving accuracy and offering hope Education. Community. Empowerment. #LeptomeningealDisease #LMD #LungCancerAwareness #BrainMets #CancerResearch #LiveLung #EducationIsEmpowerment