Metastases in the brain

Malignant tumors and to date remain one of the most unpredictable diseases. Very often, with a weakened organism and a progressive disease, a malignant tumor can spread with the flow of blood and lymph into other internal organs of a person. From the transferred cells, a new tumor, called "metastasis," can begin to develop. The most susceptible organs for the appearance of metastases are the lungs, liver, bones and brain. And the treatment of metastases in the latter case is the most difficult.

Cancer metastases in the brain

Cancers of the lungs and mammary gland most often produce effects in the form of metastases in the brain. The autopsy of patients who died of cancer of the lungs or mammary gland shows that about 30% of patients get metastases to the brain. At the same time, the percentage of simultaneous detection of cancer and metastasis is very small - at the level of 1%, which once again underscores the fact that metastases arise during the progression of a malignant tumor. Complicating the process of treatment is the fact that there is absolutely no dependence between the initial stage of the detected cancer and the appearance of metastases. Metastases can appear, both at the onset of malignant tumor development, and at later stages, or may not appear at all. Everything depends only on the unique physiological characteristics of the human body.

Cancer metastases in the brain are the most serious complications in the treatment of cancer and significantly affect the outcome of treatment and the life expectancy of the patient.

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Symptoms of metastases in the brain

Symptoms of metastases in the brain depend on the site of the lesion. In general, the signs of metastases in the brain include changes in body sensation and impaired coordination, rapid changes in emotional state, headache, sometimes accompanied by fever and fever, personality changes and memory loss, lethargic states, different sizes of eye pupils, difficulty speaking and general weakness of the body. When the frontal part is damaged, the frontal psyche can also be observed (a sharp change to coarse behavior). A person begins to swear with obscenities, cling to others, violate visual functions and movements of the musculoskeletal system. Although the symptoms of metastases in the brain are purely individual and can sometimes change the physical and behavioral reactions of the body beyond recognition. At the first appearance of the symptoms, it is worth immediately contacting the attending physician, so that even greater complications related to the patient's mental health disorder are not gone.

Metastasis of melanoma in the brain

Talking about metastases of cancer, it is worth mentioning and the hardest of the types of cancer - melanoma. Melanoma, or skin cancer, is faster than other forms of disease begins to form metastases in the internal organs of a person and after that it becomes, practically, incurable. More often melanoma gives metastases to the brain, lungs and bones. Metastases are also affected by the lymph nodes of the human body. In any case, you should carefully monitor and try to prevent the rapid development of a disease such as melanoma.

The most susceptible to the disease are people who have on the body a large number of moles, freckles, other reactions to solar activity, or simply those whose way of life is associated with frequent exposure to direct sunlight. If you notice the frequent formation of new moles on the body and their rapid growth to a diameter of more than 7 mm, you should immediately consult a doctor, as, let us recall, skin cancer very quickly gives metastases and turns into an incurable form.

Metastases of melanoma in the brain significantly reduce the patient's chances of survival. However, in some cases, treatment with monoclonal antibodies can also help at the stage of metastasis. Everything depends on the development of the disease and the individual characteristics of the human body.

According to the pathologists, the metastases in the brain have about 45% of all cancer patients, and most often they are the cause of death, rather than the cancer itself. 60% of cases of metastasis occur in lung cancer. Next come breast cancer, melanoma and colon cancer. These diseases can give metastases to the brain stem, which significantly complicates the treatment and gives a number of specific symptoms: intracranial headaches are bursting and blunt, which can go to dizziness and impaired vision. Metastases in the brainstem can also cause a constant sensation of nausea and vomiting, as well as a convulsive symptom very similar in appearance to epilepsy.

Treatment of metastases of the brain

Treatment of metastases of the brain depends on the degree of metastasis. So, for the formation of up to three foci of metastases in the brain, neurosurgical interventions are practiced. But, if the metastases are located in places inaccessible to surgery, then other methods of treatment should be used. Given the complexity of the situation and working directly with the brain, in such operations, the likelihood of relapse after surgery - from 10% to 50% - is very high. To reduce the likelihood of a relapse before the operation, brain radiation is also carried out, which can, however, also give its consequences.

With multiple metastases in the brain, it is possible to use chemotherapy. But its potential in the case of multiple metastases in the brain is significantly limited due to the blood-brain barrier, which does not allow most cytostatics to pass. Of course, there are drugs that overcome the barrier, but they, unfortunately, are not always effective in the case of metastasis.

To date, the most progressive and effective method of treating brain metastases remains the method of stereotactic radiosurgery, or the gamma knife. The treatment procedure is reduced to the remote irradiation of the main foci of metastasis in the brain. The effectiveness of such treatment is 90%, but even this does not help to save patients life for more than a year. The lethal outcome is the progress of the primary focus, and not the metastases that arose after its development. Thus, life expectancy with metastases in the brain is not great, since even a complete removal of metastases does not lead to a person's recovery. The development of metastases can be observed in the majority of patients with oncological diseases aged 50 to 70 years. It is they who are most often given a prognosis for the development of metastases, provided that the cancer continues to develop.

Thus, metastases in the brain are a very serious clinical consequence of the development of cancer, which reduces the chances of recovery and avoidance of death. At the first suspicions on occurrence of metastases it is necessary to consult immediately with the attending physician, in order to prevent the progression of cancer and metastasis.