Brain Metastases

When cancer in other areas of the body such as the lungs, breast, skin or kidneys, which may spread to the brain.

It can be a single tumor or multiple tumors,

These are commonest brain tumors

Symptoms

Sometimes patients exhibit neurological symptoms as a result of a metastatic brain tumor. Others don’t find out they have the tumor until it’s accidentally discovered through MRI imaging. Some of the symptoms may include:

• Headaches
• Nausea
• Seizures
• Weakness
• Numbness in the limbs or face
• Vision problems
• Gradual changes in mood and/or personality

The symptoms vary depending on how large the tumor is and where it’s located in the brain.

Diagnosis

Patients need CT or MRI scans.

Treatment

It is usually a team work of doctors comprised by Neurosurgeon, Radiation oncologist and Medical oncologist.

 Treatment may be a combination of surgery, radiation, chemotherapy and immunotherapy.

Stereotactic biopsy

  This minimally invasive surgery removes a small portion of accessible tumor without harming the rest of the brain.

Basically, this helps in knowing what is the metastasis arising from.

 Stereotactic radiosurgery: Also known as CyberKnife or Gamma knife surgery, this technique uses a high dose of radiation to target the tumor(s) and halt their growth.

Open surgery: In open surgery, doctors remove the tumor, then if possible even administer radiation or chemotherapy to prevent recurrence.

Metastases from Thyroid Carcinoma

60 Yrs/F

Swelling over vertex in a known case of Ca Thyroid