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Brain Metastases: Overview and Molecular Mechanisms

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Cancer Metastasis Through the Lymphovascular System

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Abstract

Both the incidence and prevalence of brain metastases (BM) have increased, partly due to improved radiographic detection of lesions and prolonged survival from primary cancers. Overall prognosis of BM remains poor despite emerging therapies. Metastasis to the central nervous system (CNS) requires that a cancer cell harbor the unique molecular machinery necessary to overcome protective CNS mechanisms ordinarily designed to impede pathogen invasion and to facilitate tissue repair. A primary tumor’s ability to successfully invade and thrive in the central nervous system is dependent on subclonal evolution of cancer cell populations, with genetic changes conferring selective advantages to overcome each step in the multistep model of tumor metastasis. Organotropism refers to the predilection of circulating tumor cells to target specific secondary sites, often involving a bidirectional interaction where the primary tumor influences changes at a distant site to create an environment conducive to metastatic proliferation. Once in the brain, cancer cells hijack glial and CNS-stromal cellular machinery to help create a tumor microenvironment where cancer cells continue to thrive. A better understanding of the molecular mechanisms of BM will help drive future targeted therapy as well as identifying those at greater risk for BM.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Henry Ford Health System, Detroit, USA

    S. Haider, J. Snyder & I. Lee

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  1. S. Haider
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  2. J. Snyder
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  3. I. Lee
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Correspondence to I. Lee .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Surgery and Melanoma Center, California Pacific Medical Center and Research Institute, San Francisco, CA, USA

    Stanley P. Leong

  2. Henry Ford Cancer Institute, Detroit, MI, USA

    S. David Nathanson

  3. Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, FL, USA

    Jonathan S. Zager

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Haider, S., Snyder, J., Lee, I. (2022). Brain Metastases: Overview and Molecular Mechanisms. In: Leong, S.P., Nathanson, S.D., Zager, J.S. (eds) Cancer Metastasis Through the Lymphovascular System. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-93084-4_50

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