Brain Metastases: State of the Art and Innovative Targeted Therapies
Pages 113-121
Maria Caffo, Lucia Merlo, Valeria Barresi, Ema Tot and Gerardo Caruso
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.6000/1927-7229.2015.04.03.4
Published: 07 September 2015

Abstract: Brain metastasis represents the most common intracranial tumor. The metastatic process involves the migration of a cancer cell from the bulk tumor into the surrounding tissue, extravasation from the blood vessels into the tissues, and formation of a secondary tumor. Patients affected by brain metastases are in need of a multidisciplinary approach that generally includes surgical treatment and radiation therapy. Conventional chemotherapies have generally produced disappointing results, possibly due to their limited ability to penetrate the blood-brain barrier. With new data regarding the biology of brain metastases, novel targeted therapies can be considered interesting and promising therapeutic options. Targeted therapies showed improved survival in patients with metastatic disease. The advent of new technologies such as graphene nanoparticles has led to the discovery of novel pathways that allow a better delivery of the therapeutic compounds to the brain.