Updates on the management of breast cancer brain metastases

Abstract

Breast cancer brain metastases (BCBMs) are common in patients with advanced disease. Breast cancer subtype and performance status are the major determinants of the course of the disease and survival time following a diagnosis of brain metastasis. Unique challenges specific to the management of BCBMs include overcoming the blood-brain barrier and resistance to conventional systemic therapies, as BCBMs typically occur in the pretreated patient population. The development of new systemic therapies for breast cancer, coupled with improvements in trial design, imaging modalities, and methods of defining and measuring clinical endpoints, has led to a renewed interest in developing novel therapeutic approaches for BCBMs. In this overview, we will review recent developments in the management of BCBMs and current prospective trials of systemic therapies specifically for patients with BCBMs, with a focus on novel pathway-specific therapies.