Cerebral metastasis in breast cancer

Abstract

The incidence of breast cancer brain metastases has risen steadily in recent years. Brain metastases are often the limiting factor of the disease, as survival is usually only a few months after brain metastasis occurs. Apart from the poor prognosis, cognitive and neurological deficits lead to a massive impairment of quality of life. HER2-positive or triple-negative cancers develop brain metastases more often. Studies on the subject of brain metastases were conducted mainly in cohorts with different primary tumours. To improve the available data on patients with breast cancer, the “Brain Metastases in Breast Cancer (BMBC)” registry was initiated to record the German care reality. Because of the lack of specific systemic treatment options, the main primary therapy of brain metastases is local (surgery, stereotactic radiation, whole-brain radiation). Local therapy is supplemented by systemic therapy. The choice of systemic therapy is guided especially by the extracranial disease situation, as there are practically no study data currently on the subject of systemic therapy of brain metastases specifically. Only very recently have drugs been investigated explicitly in women with breast cancer brain metastases.

Key words

breast cancer - brain metastasis - radiotherapy - systemic therapy

Schlüsselworter

Mammakarzinom - Hirnmetastasen - Strahlentherapie - systemische Therapie

• References

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