Investigational therapies for brain metastases

Contrary to the incidence of primary cancers, the incidence of brain metastasis has been increasing. This increase is likely because of the effects of an aging population, improved neuroimaging surveillance, and better control of systemic cancer, allowing time for brain metastasis to occur. Unlike systemic cancers, for which chemotherapy is the mainstay of treatment, the therapeutic strategies available to treat brain metastasis have traditionally been limited to surgical resection, whole brain radiation therapy, or stereotactic radiosurgery, either individually or in combination. It is important to put the treatment in the context of the prognosis for patients with brain metastases.