L1 cell adhesion molecule (L1CAM) is a member of the immunoglobulin-like cell-adhesion molecule family that was shown to be associated with a worse prognosis in several human cancers. L1 ectodomain shedding via vesicles or exosomes has been detected in extracellular fluids after cleavage from the cell surface by metalloproteases. We evaluated the presence of L1CAM in cyst fluid and tissue from glioblastomas or brain metastases. The amount of L1CAM in cyst fluid of 9 glioblastomas and 11 brain metastases was assessed using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Corresponding tumor tissue slices were stained immunohistochemically for L1CAM. Cerebrospinal fluid of 20 non-tumor patients served as controls. Mean levels of L1CAM in tumor cyst fluid were significantly higher in glioblastoma (6118 ± 4095 ng/mL) and metastasis patients (8001 ± 6535 ng/mL) than in CSF of control patients (714 ± 22 ng/mL). The immunohistochemical expression of L1CAM in corresponding tissue was significantly higher in metastases than in glioblastomas. The present study demonstrates high levels of L1CAM in cyst fluid of glioblastoma and metastatic brain tumors. Soluble L1CAM may represent a motility promoting molecule in cancer progression, a co-factor for development of tumor cysts and a target for new treatment strategies.

Background: Flow diversion (FD)—a young technique using stents with highly increased surface coverage—was introduced to treat complex aneurysms without intra-aneurysmal material placement and has amended the spectrum of endovascular techniques such as stent-assisted coil occlusion considerably. However, ischemic complications, a common side effect in FD, occur more frequently compared with the conventional endovascular approaches and certainly limit the indication of this technique. Our study aimed to investigate the feasibility and efficacy of stent-assisted coiling using low profile self-expandable stents, which exhibit only moderate flow-redirecting properties and therefore represent a combination of hemodynamic endovascular and occlusive endosaccular therapy. Materials and methods: 39 Patients were included in our retrospective study. Occlusion rates were assessed 6 months after the procedure in a total of 27 cases using the Raymond scale. Results: Complete occlusion (Raymond I) was achieved in 24/27 aneurysms. Small neck remnants (Raymond II) were evident in 3/27 aneurysms. There were no cases with sac remnant or complete persistence of aneurysmal filling (Raymond III and IV). Conclusion: Our study demonstrates interventional treatment of intracranial aneurysms using flow-redirecting stent-assisted coiling to be technically feasible and highly effective in aneurysmal occlusion. We believe that this approach is outstanding in the prevention of long-term aneurysmal reperfusion and exhibits a more acceptable risk profile than highly efficient FD techniques.