Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2024 Oct 31;16(21):3686.
doi: 10.3390/cancers16213686.

Diagnostics and Screening in Breast Cancer with Brain and Leptomeningeal Metastasis: A Review of the Literature

Adam J Cohen-Nowak  1 , Virginia B Hill  2 , Priya Kumthekar  3
Affiliations
Review

Diagnostics and Screening in Breast Cancer with Brain and Leptomeningeal Metastasis: A Review of the Literature

Adam J Cohen-Nowak et al. Cancers (Basel). .

Abstract

Brain and leptomeningeal metastases are complications of breast cancer with high rates of morbidity and mortality and have an estimated incidence of up to 30%. While National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) guidelines recommend screening for central nervous system metastasis in other neurotropic cancers such as non-small cell lung cancer, there are no such recommendations for asymptomatic breast cancer patients at any stage of disease. This review highlights ongoing studies into screening and diagnostics for breast cancer with brain and leptomeningeal metastasis (BCBLM) as they relate to patient outcomes and prognostication. These include imaging methods such as MRI with novel contrast agents with or without PET/CT, as well as 'liquid biopsy' testing of the cerebrospinal fluid and serum to analyze circulating tumor cells, genomic material, proteins, and metabolites. Given recent advances in radiation, neurosurgery, and systemic treatments for BCBLM, screening for CNS involvement should be considered in patients with advanced breast cancer as it may impact treatment decisions and overall survival.

Keywords: brain metastasis; breast cancer; diagnostics; leptomeningeal carcinomatosis; screening.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Methods in diagnosis and screening for brain and leptomeningeal metastases include (a) magnetic resonance imaging with contrast, (b) Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) studies, and (c) peripheral blood studies.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Rostami R., Mittal S., Rostami P., Tavassoli F., Jabbari B. Brain metastasis in breast cancer: A comprehensive literature review. J. Neurooncol. 2016;127:407–414. doi: 10.1007/s11060-016-2075-3. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Nguyen A., Nguyen A., Dada O.T., Desai P.D., Ricci J.C., Godbole N.B., Pierre K., Lucke-Wold B. Leptomeningeal Metastasis: A Review of the Pathophysiology, Diagnostic Methodology, and Therapeutic Landscape. Curr. Oncol. 2023;30:5906–5931. doi: 10.3390/curroncol30060442. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. El Saghir N.S., Khalil L.E., El Dick J., Atwani R.W., Safi N., Charafeddine M., Al-Masri A., El Saghir B.N., Chaccour M., Tfayli A., et al. Improved Survival of Young Patients With Breast Cancer 40 Years and Younger at Diagnosis. JCO Glob. Oncol. 2023;9:e2200354. doi: 10.1200/GO.22.00354. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Tsukada Y., Fouad A., Pickren J.W., Lane W.W. Central nervous system metastasis from breast carcinoma. Autopsy study. Cancer. 1983;52:2349–2354. doi: 10.1002/1097-0142(19831215)52:12<2349::AID-CNCR2820521231>3.0.CO;2-B. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Nayar G., Ejikeme T., Chongsathidkiet P., Elsamadicy A.A., Blackwell K.L., Clarke J.M., Lad S.P., Fecci P.E. Leptomeningeal disease: Current diagnostic and therapeutic strategies. Oncotarget. 2017;8:73312–73328. doi: 10.18632/oncotarget.20272. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources