Recent trends in epidemiology of brain metastases: an overview

Abstract

Brain metastases (BM) are the most common intracranial neoplasm in adults. Initially considered as an essentially terminal stage of advanced cancer, BM are increasingly being recognized as an emerging area of clinical interest. Their epidemiological characteristics have changed significantly, including an increased incidence in tumors frequently associated with BM, such as lung and breast cancer or melanoma, but also a more frequent occurrence with other primary tumor entities such as renal, colorectal and ovarian cancer. BM are more commonly diagnosed in multiple intracerebral sites, but in the context of controlled extracranial disease. Accordingly, progress in the development of systemic treatments, together with the rationalized use of surgical resection, radiosurgery and whole-brain radiotherapy, have led to an increase in the number of long-term survivors and in median survival. The recent emergence of targeted therapies and growing knowledge regarding the specific biology of BM should allow further improvements in prognosis of this devastating disease.