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Review
. 2023 Mar 19;13(3):828.
doi: 10.3390/life13030828.

Melanoma Brain Metastases: A Systematic Review of Opportunities for Earlier Detection, Diagnosis, and Treatment

Michael Joseph Diaz  1 , Isabella Mark  1 , Daphnee Rodriguez  2 , Beata Gelman  3 , Jasmine Thuy Tran  4 , Giona Kleinberg  5 , Anna Levin  6 , Alice Beneke  1 , Kevin Thomas Root  1 , Andrew Xuan Vinh Tran  7 , Brandon Lucke-Wold  8
Affiliations
Review

Melanoma Brain Metastases: A Systematic Review of Opportunities for Earlier Detection, Diagnosis, and Treatment

Michael Joseph Diaz et al. Life (Basel). .

Abstract

Introduction: Melanoma continues to represent the most serious skin cancer worldwide. However, few attempts have been made to connect the body of research on advanced melanoma. In the present review, we report on strides made in the diagnosis and treatment of intracranial metastatic melanoma. Methods: Relevant Cochrane reviews and randomized-controlled trials published by November 2022 were systematically retrieved from the Cochrane Library, EMBASE, and PubMed databases (N = 27). Search and screening methods adhered to the 2020 revision of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. Results: Although the research surrounding the earlier detection of melanoma brain metastasis is scarce, several studies have highlighted specific markers associated with MBM. Such factors include elevated BRAFV600 mutant ctDNA, high LDH concentration, and high IGF-1R. The approach to treating MBM is moving away from surgery and toward nonsurgical management, namely, a combination of stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) and immunotherapeutic agents. There is an abundance of emerging research seeking to identify and improve both novel and established treatment options and diagnostic approaches for MBM, however, more research is still needed to maximize the clinical efficacy, especially for new immunotherapeutics. Conclusions: Early detection is optimal for the efficacy of treatment and MBM prognosis. Current treatment utilizes chemotherapies and targeted therapies. Emerging approaches emphasize biomarkers and joint treatments. Further exploration toward preliminary identification, the timing of therapies, and methods to ameliorate adverse treatment effects are needed to advance MBM patient care.

Keywords: MBM; cerebral metastases; early detection; melanoma; systematic review.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
PRISMA flow diagram (2020 Revision) for the present systematic review.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Temozolomide crosses the blood–brain barrier to target high-grade glioma cells. Figure created with BioRender.com (accessed on 17 December 2022).
Figure 3
Figure 3
Illustration of two observational methods: radiosurgery and surgery alone. Figure created with BioRender.com (accessed on 18 December 2022).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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