Lung cancer brain metastases

Brain metastasis is the most common neurologic complication seen in patients with cancer. Approximately 170,000 patients develop brain metastases in the United States each year.20 Many malignancies are frequently associated with brain metastases (Table 96-7). While melanoma is the tumor type most likely to metastasize to the brain, brain metastases owing to lung and breast cancers are seen more often because they are among the most common cancers. In addition, brain metastasis may be diagnosed at the same time as the primary malignancy in around 20% of cases.22 Around 80% of brain metastases occur in the cerebral hemispheres, 15% in the cerebellum, and 5% in the brain stem. 

Improta G, Zupa A, Fillmore H et al (2001) Protein pathway activation mapping of brain metastasis from lung and breast cancers reveals organ type specific drug target activation. J Proteome Res 10 3089-3097... 

Because of early dissemination, staging of patients with small-cell lung cancer is more extensive than for patients with NSCLC. It is important to rule out distant metastasis because it will change the role of thoracic radiation in the treatment of these patients. Staging should include a complete history and physical examination, CAT scans of chest and upper abdomen to include the liver and adrenal glands, brain MRI scan, bone scan, complete blood count, and a possible bone marrow aspiration and biopsy. 

Hu C, Chang EL, Hassenbusch SJ 3rd, Allen PK, Woo SY, Ma-hajan A, et al (2006) Nonsmall cell lung cancer presenting with synchronous solitary brain metastasis. Cancer 106 1998-2004... 

The ( ) enantiomer of usnic acid (isolated from Cladonia convoluta) was moderately cytotoxic to various cancer cell lines, such as murine Lewis lung carcinoma, human chronic myelogenous leukemia, human brain metastasis of a prostate carcinoma, human breast adenocarcinoma, and human glioblastoma (Molnar and Farkas 2010 Bezivin et al. 2004). Usnic acid also decreased... 

Figure 3.10 Photomicrograph of H E-stained tissue section (a), Raman image (b, c), FT-IR image (d, e), and CARS image (f, g) of brain metastasis from lung cancer. The...

Many tumors are staged according to the tumor, nodes, metastases (TNM) system. Metastases are cancer cells that have spread to sites distant from the primary tumor site and have started to grow. The most frequently occurring sites of metastasis of solid tumors are the brain, bone, liver, and lungs. 

Ovarian cancer usually is confined to the abdominal cavity, but spread can occur to the lung, liver, and less commonly, bone or brain. Disease is spread by direct extension, peritoneal seeding, lymphatic dissemination, and blood-borne metastasis. 

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