The current incidence of tumors metastasizing to the brain is high, and brain metastases are now the most common type of intracranial tumor. Current estimates indicate that, in the USA alone, more than 200,000 patients per year are developing brain metastases. Treatment of patients who have these intracranial metastases involves many different medical specialties. Therefore, there is a need for a better integration of these specialties in the orchestration of patient care.
This volume represents the first up-to-date comprehensive textbook devoted to the subject of human brain metastases in more than 20 years (since 1980).
There are four main areas of emphasis in the present work:
1 It provides an overview of the topic of brain metastases: their biology, diagnosis, and treatment throughout history.
2 Instead of considering brain metastases that arise from tumors in different tissues collectively in a single chapter, each tumor type that metastasizes to the brain is presented in a separate chapter written by an expert on the subject.
Special categories not previously covered have been included, such as the epidemiology of brain metastases and the quality of life in patients who have them, tumor metastasis to the skull base, and strategies that may help prevent metastasis of cancer to the brain.
4 The latest state-of-the-art technology for treatment of brain metastases is reviewed, including surgery, stereotactic radiosurgery, and whole-brain radiation therapy.
With such advances in neurosurgical techniques since the mid-1990s, even patients who had traditionally been excluded as surgical candidates, such as some of those with multiple or recurrent brain metastases, have been shown to survive longer after surgical treatment. Nevertheless, in the future, more work on the treatment of brain metastases needs to take place. More prospective randomized studies are required on issues such as:
1 The relative roles of surgery and stereotactic radiosurgery in the treatment of brain metastases. One should note that data on radiosurgery for treatment of brain metastases were not available in 1980 when the last text focusing on brain metastasis was published.
2 Determination of the best balance between treatment of intracranial metastases with whole-brain radiation therapy and the cognitive outcome and quality of life of the patient.
A completely understudied area that may hold promise is the role of molecularly targeted therapy for metastatic brain tumors. Scientists in the neurosur gical oncology molecular biology laboratories are working hard to translate their discoveries into therapeutic agents for such clinical use.
This book will provide valuable insight into the nature and current treatment of brain metastases to all those in the many medical specialties and subspecialties who are likely to encounter these tumors. It should be a real time saver to be able to look to this single volume for information on brain metastases from tumors of diverse histological origins.
Contents
Part I General
1 Management of intracranial metastases: history
2 The epidemiology of brain metastasis
3 The biology of brain metastasis
4 Brain metastases: histopathological evaluation and diagnostic pitfalls
5 Imaging of metastatic tumors of the brain
Part II Principles of Therapy
6 Intracranial metastases: medical management and prognostic factors
7 Surgical management and techniques
8 Whole-brain radiation therapy
9 Radiosurgery for single and multiple brain metastases
10 Stereotactic radiation of intracranial metastases
11 Chemotherapy for brain metastases
Part III Specific Tumor Sites
12 Metastatic lung cancer
13 Current management strategies in intracranial breast cancer metastasis
14 Management of brain metastasis in malignant melanoma patients
15 Brain metastases from renal cell carcinoma
16 Metastatic colorectal carcinoma
17 Brain metastasis from cancer of an unknown primary site
18 Leptomeningeal carcinomatosis: diagnosis and management
19 Brain metastases from gynecologic cancers
20 Brain metastases from genitourinary cancer: germ cell, testicular, prostate and bladder cancer
21 Brain metastasis from upper gastrointestinal tract cancers: esophageal, gastric, hepatic, gallbladder, and pancreatic
22 Brain metastases from thyroid carcinoma and other endocrine malignancies
23 Brain metastasis from sarcomas
Part IV Special Considerations
24 Metastatic tumors of the skull base
25 Neuropsychological impact of brain metastasis and its treatment
26 Adjuvant approaches for preventing brain metastases
27 Intracranial metastases: management guidelines and decision-making
Index
Book Details
- Hardcover: 512 pages
- Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell; 1 edition
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1405116463
- ISBN-13: 978-1405116466
- Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.3 x 1.4 inches
List Price: $217.95 
