Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 9, 2025
Modeling Brain Metastasis by Internal Carotid Artery Injection of Cancer Cells
Published on: August 2, 2022
Frequency of seizures in patients with metastatic brain tumors
Kristin Huntoon1, Nicholas Musgrave2, Ammar Shaikhouni3
1Department of Neurosurgery, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 1515 Holcombe Blvd, Houston, TX, 77030, USA. khuntoon@mdanderson.org.
Introduction:
We sought to determine the influence of primary tumor histology and metastatic tumor location on the frequency of seizures among patients with brain metastases. A secondary aim was to determine if surgery reduced the occurrence and frequency of seizures.
Methods:
We retrospectively reviewed patients with cerebral metastasis at a single institution from 2006 to 2016.
Results:
Among 1949 patients identified as having had cerebral metastasis, 168 (8.6%) had documentation of one or more seizures. The incidence of seizures was highest among patients with metastases from melanoma (19.8%), followed by those with colon cancer (9.7%), renal cell carcinoma (RCC; 8.3%), and lung cancer (7.0%). Among 1581 patients with melanoma, colon cancer, RCC, non-small cell lung cancer, or breast cancer, having metastases in the frontal lobe seemed to confer the greatest risk of seizures (n = 100), followed by foci in the temporal lobe (n = 20) and elsewhere (n = 16).
Conclusion:
Patients with cerebral metastasis are at increased risk for seizures. Seizure rates seem to be higher for certain primary tumors, such as melanoma, colon cancer, and RCC, and for lesions located in the frontal lobe.
Related Concept Videos
01:24Epilepsy and Seizures: Overview
Various factors can trigger epilepsy, including genetic factors, brain damage, metabolic causes, and unknown etiology. Diagnosis of epilepsy involves electroencephalography (EEG), which...
01:13Seizures: Classification
Seizures are typically classified into two main categories: focal and generalized seizures.
Focal Seizures
Focal seizures originate from specific regions of the brain. These seizures are further sub-classified into two types:
01:20Antiepileptic Drugs: Modulators of Neurotransmitter Release Mediated by SV2A Protein
SV2A is a transmembrane glycoprotein located predominantly in the brain, modulating the release of neurotransmitters for neuronal communication. Both levetiracetam and brivaracetam exhibit a high affinity for...