title: Blood-brain barrier and chemotherapeutic treatment of brain tumors.
abstract: The blood-brain barrier (BBB) is of pivotal importance to maintain homeostasis of the CNS, as it closely regulates the composition of the interstitial fluid in the brain. Unfortunately, malignancies that grow within the CNS may evade chemotherapeutic drugs using the same barrier, making this disease refractory to most chemotherapy regimens. This review will outline the impact of the BBB in brain cancer and discuss the efforts that have been made to enhance the drug exposure of brain tumors. Although this review will focus on the role of the BBB in primary brain cancer (malignant glioma), its impact on brain metastases will also be briefly discussed.
authors.affiliation: The Netherlands Cancer Institute, Department of Clinical Chemistry, Antoni van Leeuwenhoek Hospital, Plesmanlaan 121, 1066 CX Amsterdam, The Netherlands. na.d.vries@nki.nl
authors.forename: Nienke A
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: de Vries
authors.forename: Jos H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Beijnen
authors.forename: Willem
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Boogerd
authors.forename: Olaf
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: van Tellingen
mesh_terms: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000493:pharmacokinetics* / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001812:Blood-Brain Barrier; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006801:Humans; D007276:Injections, Intraventricular
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents