Brain metastasis

Abstract

Metastatic dissemination to the central nervous system (CNS) causes physical and cognitive impairments and limits the survival of cancer patients, particularly those with advanced melanoma, lung and breast cancer. As systemic therapies improve for other cancer types, relapse to the CNS is likely to rise as a sanctuary site presumably due to the inability of presently available drugs to cross the blood-brain barrier (BBB). Patients at risk would therefore benefit from the development of prevention and improved therapies. With this in mind, this chapter discusses preclinical approaches to study the biology, treatment or prevention of brain metastasis formation. Experimental imaging techniques for the study of brain metastasis formation are also reviewed. By integrating the information obtained from various modeling approaches, we hope to obtain a deeper level of understanding of the biology and molecular basis of CNS metastasis, and to uncover therapeutic vulnerabilities of this fatal disease.