Each year, an estimated 170,000 Americans are diagnosed with brain metastases. Patients with brain metastases usually suffer serious deterioration of neurocognitive function such as short-term memory loss, compromised verbal skills and fine motor coordination, overall reduction in cognitive performance, and death. Since brain metastases may be hard to recognize among all the symptoms and problems a patient is having due to their primary cancer, it is critical to raise awareness among medical professionals to ensure early diagnosis and the most optimal treatment. Currently, treatment options for brain metastases, which include whole brain radiation therapy, surgery, radiosurgery, or chemotherapy, will depend on the circumstances of each patient's illness. For instance, radiosurgery can be particularly effective for patients diagnosed with smaller-sized and fewer brain metastases, while surgery is best suited for patients with large tumors.
Experts agree that new, more effective and widely applicable treatments are needed.
Several new protocols are currently being evaluated in clinical trials, including a new class of drugs called radiosensitizers, which enhance the tumor-killing effects of radiation while minimizing damage to surrounding normal cells, as well as new chemotherapies. The conference will feature a special workshop on new treatment options for brain metastases.