Medical treatment for active breast cancer brain metastases

Metastatic breast cancer is the second most common cause of brain metastases.1 In the ESME cohort, the risk of developing brain metastases during metastatic disease was 34% for patients with ER-positive and HER2-positive breast cancer and 49% for patients with ER-negative and HER2-positive breast cancer.1 Brain metastases are associated with decreased quality of life and overall survival. Current recommendations principally rely on surgery and radiotherapy for control of brain metastases, with medical treatment mostly considered after failure of such interventions.