Achal Singh Achrol, Robert C Rennert, Carey Anders, Riccardo Soffietti, Manmeet S Ahluwalia, Lakshmi Nayak, Solange Peters, Nils D Arvold, Griffith R Harsh, Patricia S Steeg, Steven D Chang
An estimated 20% of all patients with cancer will develop brain metastases, with the majority of brain metastases occurring in those with lung, breast and colorectal cancers, melanoma or renal cell carcinoma. Brain metastases are thought to occur via seeding of circulating tumour cells into the brain microvasculature; within this unique microenvironment, tumour growth is promoted and the penetration of systemic medical therapies is limited. Development of brain metastases remains a substantial contributor to overall cancer mortality in patients with advanced-stage cancer because prognosis remains poor despite multimodal treatments and advances in systemic therapies, which include a combination of surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, immunotherapy and targeted therapies...
January 17, 2019: Nature Reviews. Disease Primers