Management of breast cancer brain metastases: A practical review

Claire Phillips; Rosalind Jeffree; Mustafa Khasraw

doi:10.1016/j.breast.2016.10.006

Management of breast cancer brain metastases: A practical review

Breast. 2017 Feb:31:90-98. doi: 10.1016/j.breast.2016.10.006. Epub 2016 Nov 6.

Authors

Claire Phillips¹, Rosalind Jeffree², Mustafa Khasraw³

Affiliations

¹ Division of Radiation Oncology and Cancer Imaging, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, East Melbourne, VIC, Australia. Electronic address: claire.phillips@petermac.org.
² Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
³ NHMRC Clinical Trials Centre, University of Sydney, NSW, Australia.

PMID: 27829201
DOI: 10.1016/j.breast.2016.10.006

Abstract

Brain metastases are a common, and frequently challenging, clinical problem in the contemporary management of metastatic breast cancer. While the management of extracranial metastatic breast cancer is now strongly defined by tumour phenotype, this approach is not so well defined for brain metastases. We review available evidence regarding management of brain metastases, including the limited breast-cancer-specific data. A framework for management according to breast cancer phenotype is proposed.

Keywords: Brain metastases; Breast cancer; Radiotherapy; Targeted therapy.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Brain Neoplasms / secondary*
Breast Neoplasms / pathology*
Disease Management*
Female
Humans