Molecular and cellular stratagem of brain metastases associated with melanoma.

Molecular and cellular stratagem of brain metastases associated with melanoma. Oncol Lett. 2019 May;17(5):4170-4175 Authors: Buga AM, Docea AO, Albu C, Malin RD, Branisteanu DE, Ianosi G, Ianosi SL, Iordache A, Calina D Abstract Tumors of the central nervous system are the most prevalent complications of melanoma, especially in the late stage of disease. Melanoma, lung and breast cancer are the leading cause of secondary tumors in the brain, the majority of them having a poor outcome. Brain dissemination is developed in half of stage IV melanomas and these cases can increase up to 75%, having a major impact on the quality of life. This review will focus on recent findings that provide new ways to potentially prevent brain metastases in malignant melanoma. The key of these findings is based on the heterogeneity of the melanoma and of the brain metastases at genetic levels. This new era of technologies provides new tools in understanding the dissemination mechanisms of malignant cells. The cellular and molecular changes, the immune status of the patient and the blood-brain barrier permeability are key regulators of cancer cell dissemination. Understanding these mechanisms can render new hope in preventing brain metastases by focusing on melanoma and new pharmacologic approaches. PMID: 30944612 [PubMed]
Source: Oncology Letters - Category: Cancer & Oncology Tags: Oncol Lett Source Type: research