Medical management of brain metastases.
The main objective of treating brain metastases is to improve survival and to reduce symptom burden, preserve function, and enhance quality of life. As such, concurrent local control of existing brain metastases, prevention of future metastasis elsewhere in the brain, and control of the systemic cancer are required. The treatment modalities used to achieve these aims include surgery, radiation, and medical therapy. This article is devoted to the medical management of brain metastases, namely the role of medical treatments and chemotherapy. Radiation therapy and surgery are discussed in detail elsewhere; however, a brief discussion of all of these modalities is included for the sake of thoroughness.
Department of Neurological Surgery, University of California, 400 Parnassus Avenue # 0372, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA. Butowski@neurosurg.ucsf.edu
Nicholas
N
Butowski
D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000592:standards; D024221:Antineoplastic Protocols / Q000592:standards*; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000401:mortality / Q000556:secondary*; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy / Q000379:methods / Q000639:trends; D004358:Drug Therapy / Q000379:methods / Q000639:trends*; D006801:Humans; D011878:Radiotherapy / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods / Q000639:trends*