Management of brain metastases: past, present, and future.
Brain metastasis is an important cause of morbidity and mortality in cancer patients. Because most of these patients die of systemic disease, the primary therapeutic goal is to improve the quality of life. Conventional therapy for brain metastases is usually whole-brain irradiation. Chemotherapy often results in regression of brain metastases in chemosensitive tumors. We review our institutional experience in the treatment of brain metastasis with both radiation and chemotherapy. In the future, improvement in the management of brain metastases will depend on improved chemotherapy, radiosensitizers, and radiotherapy techniques such as stereotactic radiosurgery.
Department of Radiotherapy, University of Mississippi, Jackson.
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A
Routh
T
T
Khansur
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BT
Hickman
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D
Bass
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000556:secondary* / Q000628:therapy*; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology; D002648:Child; D016371:Cranial Irradiation / Q000401:mortality; D003907:Dexamethasone / Q000008:administration & dosage; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007680:Kidney Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008545:Melanoma / Q000473:pathology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009382:Neoplasms, Unknown Primary / Q000473:pathology; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D016634:Radiosurgery; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016019:Survival Analysis
D003907:Dexamethasone