Metastasis to the Central Nervous System

This article addresses recent advances in the evaluation and clinical management of patients with CNS metastasis. RECENT FINDINGS Metastasis of cancer to the CNS can be diagnosed and characterized with novel techniques, including molecular analyses of the spinal fluid, so-called liquid biopsies. Resected parenchymal CNS metastases are now routinely subjected to genomic sequencing. For patients with CNS metastases displaying targetable mutations, a wide variety of treatment options are available, including deferral of radiation therapy in favor of a trial of an orally bioavailable targeted therapy or immunotherapy. For patients without a molecularly targetable lesion, local treatment in the form of radiation therapy, now most often stereotactic radiosurgery, is supplanting untargeted whole-brain radiation therapy. SUMMARY Technologic advances in diagnosis and management have resulted in new diagnostic and therapeutic approaches to patients with metastasis to the CNS, with resulting improvements in progression-free and overall survival.
Source: CONTINUUM: Lifelong Learning in Neurology - Category: Neurology Tags: REVIEW ARTICLES Source Type: research