Metastatic brain tumors are cancers that have spread from somewhere else in the body. While primary brain tumors develop from cells that are part of the brain, like astrocytes or oligiodendrocytes, metastatic brain tumors are made of cancer cells from the primary cancer site. Cancers that are most likely to metastasize to the brain are breast cancer, lung cancer, kidney cancer, colon cancer and melanoma. Metastatic brain cancer is the most common type of brain tumor, affecting as many as 200,000 people.
The neuro-oncologists at Hollings work closely with the other cancer teams to coordinate care for people whose cancer has metastasized to the brain. Our goal is to provide good quality of life. In addition, patients may become eligible for clinical trials for the primary cancer once their brain metastases are treated.
You know you're in good hands at MUSC Hollings Cancer Center, the state’s only National Cancer Institute-designated cancer center. Here, you have access to the latest innovations in cancer treatment, including clinical trials, advanced surgical techniques, support services and survivorship planning. You can rest easy knowing we hold national rankings for cancer care and take a leadership role in cancer research and prevention.
Symptoms of brain metastases are similar to symptoms of primary brain tumors. These include:
Treating brain metastases can help to improve quality of life. Controlling brain metastases helps the oncologist for your primary cancer to concentrate on treating that cancer. The treatment that your doctors recommend will depend on the size and number of metastases as well as the type of primary cancer that you have. Treatments include:
To refer a brain tumor patient to Hollings, please call patient referral coordinator Kelly Fehr at 843-985-0577.
Our brain tumor nurse navigator, Janequa McKnight, BSN, RN, will help you understand what to expect during treatment and answer questions you may have.
Clinical trials help us to find better treatments. A clinical trial might be testing whether a treatment is more effective or has fewer side effects or could be looking for biomarkers that would help doctors to better match treatments to specific patients.
Clinical trials are especially important for people with brain tumors. Sometimes, they can offer a chance for a promising treatment option before it’s widely available. Our team works diligently to ensure that we have an array of clinical trials available.
Hollings has been a member of the Brain Tumor Trials Collaborative since its inception. This collaboration among 33 institutions across the country develops and runs clinical trials investigating treatments for a variety of brain tumors.
In addition, Hollings is a member of several other collaborative research groups, such as the Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology, SWOG and the National Cancer Institute Community Oncology Research Program (NCORP), and works with industry partners to bring clinical trials here. This means that you will have access to the latest therapies for brain tumors right here in South Carolina.
Learn more about clinical trials at Hollings and see our current brain tumor clinical trials.
